E Coli Lawyer & Attorney : Marler Clark Law Firm : E. coli Blog

One year old Isaiah Romero of Sioux Center, Iowa finds himself in Sanford Children's Hospital tonight, fighting back against Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS).

KSFY Action News in Sioux Falls, South Dakota  where Sanford Children's is located reports its possible Isaiah is a victim of the the E. coli O157:H7 outbreak blamed on the Greeley Beef Plant owned by the JBS Swift Company.

Post-diarrheal Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (D+HUS) is a severe, life-threatening complication that occurs in about 10 percent of those infected with E. coli O157:H7 or other Shiga toxin (Stx) producing E. coli. D+HUS was first described in 1955, but was not known to be secondary to E. coli infections until 1982. It is now recognized as the most common cause of acute kidney failure in infants and young children. Adolescents and adults are also susceptible, as are the elderly who often succumb to the disease.

According to KSFY: "A few weeks ago Isaiah started with basic diarrhea, then vomiting. There was an E. coli test done, but it came back negative. He developed HUS this past weekend, which commonly forms from E. coli. While not every child that gets E. coli, also gets HUS, there is a small percentage that does. It attacks the red blood cells in the body and that leads to kidney failure. Isaiah has been on dialysis and had a number of other tests done to track his progress."

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Texas health officials are investigating an E. coli outbreak that has already resulted in one death, apparently caused by a Shiga toxin carried by bacteria.

E. coli O157:H7 and other bacteria contain Shiga toxins, and can cause severe illness, including hemolytic uremic syndrome. The chain of events leading to HUS begins with ingestion of Shiga toxin producing E. coli or another Shiga toxin producing bacteria in contaminated food, beverages or through person to person transmission.

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This week's Food Safety Infosheet from the International Food Safety Network (iFSN) out of Kansas State University and the University of Guelph addresses concerns about E. coli O157:H7 - a potentially deadly foodborne pathogen.  From the infosheet:

E. coli O157:H7 can cause vomiting, diarrhea and can lead to kidney damage and is most dangerous for children and the elderly.

Foods that have been associated with E. coli O157:H7 include ground beef, fruits and vegetables, sprouts and unpasteurized juices.

When meat is ground, E. coli O157:H7 can be mixed from the surface into the middle of a patty or meatball. The only way to ensure that the dangerous
bacterium is killed is to use a digital tip-sensitive thermometer.

All three E. coli victims in the infosheet were hospitalized with Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS), a severe, life-threatening complication of an E. coli O157:H7 infection. Although most people recover from the symptoms of E. coli O157:H7 infection, about 5-10% of infected individuals develop (HUS).  The essence of the syndrome is described by its three central features: destruction of red blood cells (hemolytic anemia), destruction of platelets (those blood cells responsible for clotting, resulting in low platelet counts, or thrombocytopenia), and acute renal failure.

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Five-year-old Aubrey Anderson from Hutchinson, Kansas, was released from Wesley Medical Center after being hospitalized for a month with hemolytic uremic syndrome. Aubrey was released from the hospital to recover at home because her mother is a registered nurse.

Public health officials have yet to identify the source of Aubrey's illness, and she will continue medical follow-up for months to years.

Initial indications were that her kidneys were functioning, so the family is optimistic she'll make a full recovery.
 

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Sharon Smith, the mother of Stephanie Smith, a Minnesota resident who has been hospitalized for months after eating a hamburger and becoming ill with E. coli poisoning, spoke with Kirsti Marohn of the St. Cloud Times for an article that appeared in today's paper.  She shared the story of the few days before Stephanie became ill with symptoms of E. coli infection, and of her hospitalization. 

The 20-year-old dance instructor has undergone intensive medical treatment while doctors work to support her body.  Five days after becoming ill, Stephanie was hospitalized with hemolytic uremic syndrome and was placed in a coma when she began having seizures.  As Kristi Marohn wrote:

Two months later, she remains in critical condition at St. Marys Hospital in Rochester, fighting for her life against a severe case of E. coli poisoning.

Doctors have told Sharon that Stephanie remains extremely critical. She was diagnosed with hemolytic uremic syndrome, caused when E. coli toxins enter the bloodstream.

The severity of her case is very rare, similar to only a handful of others worldwide. Still, Sharon hasn’t given up hope that her only daughter, with her wide smile and warm personality, will pull through.

There are hopeful signs. Stephanie’s kidneys have started functioning again, and she no longer needs dialysis. But there are setbacks, too. Her tongue has swelled so doctors have had to prop her mouth open and put an oxygen mask on her. So far, attempts to lower the coma-inducing drugs have resulted in more seizures. She continues to breathe with the help of a respirator.

Stephanie's is one of the most severe E. coli cases reported on in recent years, but she is not alone.  Other E. coli victims from outbreaks this fall have also been hospitalized for lengthy periods - at least one other in a coma. 

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In September, an E. coli outbreak among students at Galena Elementary School perplexed health officials.  Several children became ill with E. coli and a source of the outbreak was elusive.  The sibling of two students at Galena Elementary battled an E. coli infection during the outbreak, and continues to recover after being on dialysis.  His mother has been hospitalized since she became ill with E. coli over 52 days ago. 

WAVE3 TV out of St. Louis, Missouri, reported the story of Amelia Seraiah's E. coli illness and hospitalization last night:

A Floyd County woman watched her son battle a deadly strain of E. coli back in September. Now she's hospitalized with the same illness. But her health isn't the only problem the single mother of five is facing.

It was 52 days ago -- on September 30th -- when Amelia Seraiah came down with the deadly bacteria. Her children are now staying with family members, who say they just pray she makes a full recovery.

Sharon Peltier has a lot to be thankful for this week. Her 3-year-old grandson, William, is off dialysis and doing better. He spent 17 days last month in Kosair Children's Hospital. Now Peltier's daughter (William's mother) is in Norton Hospital, fighting the same illness: E. coli.

Amelia isn't the only person battling an E. coli infection who will spend Thanksgiving in the hospital.  7-year-old Jayden Moss, of Willard, Utah, is expected to remain hospitalized until February.  He became ill with an E. coli infection earlier this fall and has suffered brain damage due to neurological involvement of HUS.  According to KSL.com:

Jayden is now at the learning level of an infant after developing Hemalitic Uremic Syndrome (HUS) from E. coli.

"He started throwing up and diarrhea," his mother, Rachael, said.

It eventually shut down his kidneys, and blood vessels in his body began bursting, causing severe brain damage. "Right now he doesn't walk, doesn't talk, he doesn't eat on his own, he's fed by a machine," Jayden's father, Jeremiah, explained.

According to the KSL story, Jayden's first-grade classmates have raised $6,500 to help his family pay their medical bills.

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Matt Roberts, a Mattoon High School senior from Mattoon, Illinois, became ill with an E. coli infection just before an E. coli outbreak was traced to El Rancherito restaurant in Effingham last September.

His E. coli infection progressed to hemolytic uremic syndrome and he was hospitalized for over a month.  While hospitalized, Matt was placed in a medically-induced coma for ten days, and underwent dialysis and blood and plasma transfusions.  Even after he was released from the hospital, Matt continued to receive plasma transfusions.

The Coles County Health Department worked to identify the source of his E. coli infection but has thus far been unable to determine the source of his illness.
 

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Five-year-old Aubrey Anderson is undergoing dialysis treatments at a Wichita hospital to combat the effects of hemolytic uremic syndrome secondary to E. coli infection. The child has been hospitalized for 18 days.

Aubrey remains on a feeding tube, which goes down through her nose and bypasses her stomach into her intestines. She continues to frequently vomit, however, which displaces the feeding tube.

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Aubrey Anderson, a five-year-old from Sterling, Kansas, has been hospitalized with hemolytic uremic syndrome, secondary to E. coli infection. Doctors believe she could remain hospitalized for 3-6 weeks.

Public health officials have not yet been able to determine the source of Aubrey's illness, unlike in the case of Courtney Hansen, an eight-year-old from Ellsworth, Wisconsin, who was recently released from the hospital after a five-week stay while she was treated for HUS.

In Courtney's case, the Pierce County Herald reported that she and her younger twin sisters all became ill with E. coli infections after eating wind-fall apples.

Benefits are being planned to raise money for medical expenses.
 

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Sidney Jacobi, a 6-year-old child who is part of the E. coli outbreak among Galena Elementary School students, is home from the hospital.

Sidney sustained the most serious injures of any child hospitalized during the outbreak, suffering hemolytic uremic syndrome, which caused kidney failure. Although Sidney is still recovering, high blood pressure is still a concern.

Follow-up treatment for victims of E. coli and hemolytic uremic syndrome is very important, and all persons who have experienced HUS should be formally evaluated by a nephrologist at a year following their acute illness.
 

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A Cocke County, Tennessee child has died after fighting an E. coli infection. The girl, who was 20-months-old and was diagnosed with E. coli on October 9, was determined to be brain-dead on Monday and her heart stopped functioning late Tuesday night.

Officials with the East Tennessee Regional Health Department said Wednesday the source of Jaycee's infection has not been confirmed, according to WATE.com.

The toddler’s family says Jaycee had a little bit of hamburger meat the Saturday before she got sick, but they don't know if that was the cause of her infection.
 

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A six-year-old first grade student at Galena Elementary School in Indiana has been hospitalized with kidney failure after she developed hemolytic uremic syndrome following an E. coli infection, according to WLKY news. 

The child is one of six students at the school who have been confirmed as suffering E. coli infections, with five cases unconfirmed but possibly linked to the outbreak.  The state health department has joined the outbreak investigation, and is sending three additional investigators to help determine the source of the outbreak.  The school has been thoroughly cleaned but parents are still concerned about the safety of their kids.



State Health Officials said they are sending three more specialists to Floyd County to help track down the source of an E. coli infection.  Two food specialists and a second epidemiologist are scheduled to inspect the school Tuesday.

 

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The Troy Messenger published a follow-up story on Mallory Chandler, a Troy, Alabama, toddler who became ill with an E. coli infection and HUS while she was on vacation with her family in late June. Mallory was recently released from the hospital, and The Messenger spoke with her grandmother, Linda Chandler, about her illness and hospitalization.

Where Mallory contracted E.coli, Chandler said probably no one will ever know.

“They thought it might have been from the pool, but I don't really think that,” she said. “It could have come from anywhere. She could have touched something and then put her hand in her mouth. We just don't know.”
 

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Health officials say the Huntsville outbreak most likely was caused by contaminated lettuce served at Little Rosie's between June 27 and June 30. Eighteen of the 19 known victims ate at the popular Mexican restaurant on Whitesburg Drive on those dates; the other infected person did not eat at Little Rosie's and caught the bacteria another way.

Three Little Rosie's customers have been in the hospital since about July 4 undergoing dialysis for kidney damage.

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The Bracken County, Kentucky, health department is investigating how three children became ill with E. coli infections. Two siblings and another child fell ill with E. coli nearly a month ago. Two of the children were hospitalized for several weeks with hemolytic uremic syndrome.

Nicole Logan, the mother of two of the children who were ill, tells WLWT that one, her son, Zachary, has been receiving treatment for HUS for over 3 weeks.

"Sometimes the children are not very sick and just have abnormalities in their blood tests. Other times they become very ill and require dialysis or even [have] permanent kidney failure," said Dr. Mitchell Cohen of Children's Hospital.

The Health Department is investigating what could have caused the three cases.

"They're for some reason leaning toward hamburger or spaghetti sauce," said Logan. "I just hope they can find it. I hope it's not still out there. I don't want more people to get sick."
 

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A 22-month-old child has been hospitalized with hemolytic uremic syndrome in the Birmingham, Alabama, Children's Hospital.

Her grandfather, Dr Malone Chandler, told The Troy Messenger in regards to Mallory’s condition, “The concern for Mallory is that her kidney function began to decline in the past 24 hours. She is on dialysis, temporarily, and she has had a blood transfusion. She is not in great shape, but the news that we got today is encouraging.”

“At the beach, Mallory played in the pool,” he said. “She had not eaten anything much since last Wednesday or Thursday, so we really don't know of any food that she might have eaten that could have made her sick. We are wondering if it could have been something in the pool water.”

Chandler said in the past week four children have been admitted to Children's Hospital suffering from the same symptoms as Mallory.

Chandler said the source of Mallory's illness is not known and may never be.
 

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Two Vermont children have been hospitalized in Boston with hemolytic uremic syndrome secondary to E. coli infection.

According to family and friends a five-year-old Barre Town girl and a three-year-old girl from Randolph both remain on dialysis after being diagnosed with hemolytic uremic syndrome - a potentially life-threatening disease that destroys red blood cells and causes kidney failure.

Health officials investigating the two cases at this point do not believe that the cases are related, but are continuing to look into the source of both children's E. coli infections.
 

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Four-year old Lanie Hope Smith of Fallon, daughter of Ken Smith of Reno and Melanie Smith of Fallon, fell ill last weekend and was admitted into Banner Churchill Community Hospital on Sunday.

Lanie's kidneys began failing and she was transferred to Washoe Medical Center, where it was determined she had an E. coli infection. While at Washoe Med, Lanie's kidneys began shutting down and her blood cell counts became dangerously abnormal.

She was then transferred to The Children’s Hospital and Research Center in Oakland, California, where she had to undergo surgery to insert two shunts for kidney dialysis.

Because Lanie's kidneys are compromised, excess fluid is building in her system and she now has fluid in her lungs. The little girl is hooked up to continuous dialysis and oxygen.
 

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