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

20-year-old Stephanie Smith awoke from nine weeks in a medically-induced coma shortly before Christmas.  Smith became ill with an E. coli infection in September after eating a contaminated hamburger, and has since been hospitalized with hemolytic uremic syndrome.  Britt Johnsen from the St. Cloud Times wrote about the girl's illness:

Doctors aren’t sure if she’ll ever make a full recovery. But next week they hope to move her from the intensive care unit to a neurology recovery unit, said her mother, Sharon Smith.

“I’m a little scared. I just hope her mind’s OK, for her sake,” she said.

Smith, who was a Just For Kix dance instructor, got sick after she ate ground beef that was part of a Sam’s Club recall. She was diagnosed with hemolytic uremic syndrome, which happens when E. coli toxins enter the bloodstream.

WCCO's John Lauritsen also covered Stephanie's story:

"The last time I was there, which was a couple days ago, she cried when I left. She's moving her fingers and she winks now," said Sharon Smith [Stephanie's mom].

Every little movement Stephanie Smith makes is a step in the right direction. Especially considering that during the Thanksgiving holiday doctors told Sharon Smith they couldn't do any more for her daughter. Until recently, every time they would try and take her out of her coma Stephanie Smith would have a seizure.

On October 6, 2007, Cargill Meat Solutions Corporation announced that it was recalling approximately 845,000 pounds of frozen ground beef patties for possible E. coli O157:H7 contamination. The recall was initiated after three people in Minnesota tested positive for E. coli and a joint investigation by the Minnesota Department of Health and Minnesota Department of Agriculture identified the Cargill hamburger patties as the source of the illnesses.

The Cargill products were sold at retail establishments and to restaurants and other institutions. Sam’s Club announced that it was pulling the potentially E. coli-contaminated ground beef patties produced by Cargill from its store shelves nationwide on October 5th.

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Mark Johnson reported in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel this morning that at least five Wisconsinites have been diagnosed with E. coli recently, and that health officials are working to determine whether the Wisconsin cases have a link to earlier cases reported in Minnesota that were traced back to consumption of E. coli-contaminated hamburgers produced by Cargill and sold at Sam's Club.

One of the victims, an 18-year-old Milwaukee woman, has been confirmed to be suffering from an E. coli infection induced by the same strain of E. coli found in Minnesota children who ate Cargill-brand hamburgers and became ill.  The other cases are under investigation and more lab tests are pending.  All attended a private function before becoming ill.  According to the Journal-Sentinel:

Milwaukee Health Commissioner Bevan K. Baker announced Monday that the local E. coli cases were among five in Wisconsin that officials are investigating for possible links to the Minnesota cases. The 18-year-old woman linked to the Minnesota cases is the only Wisconsin person whom officials have described. Baker would not disclose the ages, genders or conditions of any of the other state residents sickened by E. coli.

Baker did say that more tests are being conducted to determine whether any of the other Wisconsin cases share the same strain of E. coli as the Minnesota cases.

The reports of E. coli cases in Wisconsin first surfaced late last week. The meat involved was said to have been purchased from retailers, including Sam's Club, Biedrzycki said.

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The Minnesota Department of Health announced today that ground beef patties purchased from Sam's Club stores in Minnesota during August and September had been identified as the source of an E. coli outbreak.  According to the press release issued by the Department of Health, the hamburger patties purchased from Sam's Club stores in Eagan, Maple Grove and White Bear Lake have been implicated as the cause of illness.  Further information provided in the press release includes the following:

State health and agriculture officials are investigating four cases of E. coli O157:H7 infection in Minnesota residents associated with eating ground beef patties purchased from Sam’s Club stores in August and September.

Routine monitoring by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) found that the cases of illness were caused by E. coli O157:H7 with the same DNA fingerprint. All four cases were related to pre-made frozen ground beef patties purchased at Sam’s Club stores in the Twin Cities metro area. The people became ill between September 10 and 20 after consuming the meat. The brand name of the implicated frozen ground beef patties was “American Chef’s Selection Angus Beef Patties.”

All four cases were children. Two of the cases developed hemolytic uremic syndrome and were hospitalized. One case has been discharged and one remains hospitalized.

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PM Beef Holdings expanded an E. coli recall to include 117,500 pounds of beef trimmings to make ground beef yesterday.  The original recall was initiated after an E. coli outbreak among Byerly's and Lunds customers in the Minneapolis area who had consumed ground beef products from the stores.  According to the St. Paul Pioneer Press at www.twincities.com:

The recall comes after an E. coli outbreak that has sickened seven Twin Cities residents, who purchased and ate ground beef from Byerly's or Lunds. While those stores have already removed any potentially contaminated beef from their shelves, today's move greatly expands the scope of the recall.

The beef trimmings in question were processed on March 27 at the PM Beef Holdings plant in Windom, and the USDA said it "was shipped to distributors and retail outlets" in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Michigan, Arizona, Ohio and Virginia.

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This week's food safety infosheet from the International Food Safety Network focuses on E. coli outbreaks in California and Minnesota.  Both outbreaks were traced to ground beef, and both are still being investigated by health officials. 

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According to an article in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Minnesota health officials have traced an E. coli outbreak in late April to ground beef sold at grocery several stores in Minnesota towns. 

The meat was sold under a store label at the Edina Lunds, and Byerly's stores in Minnetonka, Chanhassen and St. Louis Park, according to the health department.

Five adults and two children were among those sickened. Three were treated at area hospitals. The infections were reported between April 21 and April 28, according to the health department.

State health officials added that any ground beef purchased at the stores since April 7 should be thrown out or returned to the store.

In a Minnesota Department of Health press release, "E. coli O157:H7 cases linked to ground beef purchased at Lunds or Byerly’s stores since mid-April," Heidi Kassenborg, Acting Director of the Dairy and Food Inspection Division of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture stated, "[W]e can't be certain that meat from other stores is not involved, since all of the beef used for ground beef for Lunds and Beverly's stores comes from a single procesing facility." 

While the ground beef has not been recalled, the Minnesota Department of Health is encouraging consumers to throw out or return the ground beef products to stores.

As a precautionary measure, Lunds and Byerly’s have voluntarily removed many varieties of ground beef from all of their stores and are cooperating fully with the investigation.

Lunds and Byerly’s customers are urged to return or destroy fresh ground beef purchased at any of their stores since April 7, 2007. This includes ground beef purchased fresh then frozen at home. It includes fresh beef patties, fresh or frozen meatloaf and ground chili meat. Customers should return the ground beef to any Lunds or Byerly’s immediately for a full refund. (A receipt is not required.)

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The Minnesota Department of Health is focusing its investigation into an E. coli O157:H7 outbreak on a Nebraska meat packer, according to a story from the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

Although the beef was ground by a local grocery store, the source of the E. coli contamination probably came from a meat processing plant . . .

The store [that sold the E. coli-contaminated meat] receives meat from an Albert Lea distributor that gets its supply from four different meat processors. The processors operate at least eight different slaughterhouses.

The Albert Lea distributor does not have records on the source of the meat that it shipped to the Longville grocery store.

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The Minnesota Department of Health has been investigating an E. coli outbreak that was the source of 17 confirmed illnesses and one death. MDOH suspects that at least 30 people were ill with E. coli infections, but that not all cases were confirmed through laboratory testing.

A report in the Pioneer Press this morning noted that this latest E. coli outbreak caused the first E. coli-related death in Minnesota since 2002.

A spokesman for MDOH was quoted in the article:

"We think primarily what happened was there were a number of illnesses associated with eating potato salad or another cold salad (at the church) that became cross-contaminated with the ground beef that was used to make meatballs," said Doug Schultz, a spokesman for the Minnesota Department of Health.

In other words, those preparing the food probably used the same utensils or cutting board for the potatoes as for the beef, he said. E. coli generally comes from the intestines of cows.

Health investigators were initially perplexed by the outbreak, Schultz said. People from the church were sick, but so was a group of people who did not attend the event.

The investigators eventually traced the contamination to E. coli that had been discovered during a routine federal inspection of a Nebraska meatpacker. A distributor bought beef from that plant and sold it to a Longville grocer, who in turn sold the beef to a local restaurant and to the organizers of the church event. The victims who weren't infected at the church all had eaten at the same restaurant, Schultz said.

"Basically, the message is cook your meat thoroughly and wash fruits and vegetables, and make sure you wash your hands thoroughly when handling raw meat," Schultz said.

The entire article is available at the Pioneer Press Web site.

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According to a report in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune,

As many as 30 people in the Longville area were sickened with E. coli O157:H7 infections in the past six weeks.

A woman from Longville, Minn., who apparently ate contaminated food at a church supper, has become the first Minnesotan recorded as dying of E. coli complications in at least 3? years.

Services will be held today for Carolyn Hawkinson, right, 73, at Salem Lutheran Church in Longville, where the meal was served July 19.

Hawkinson, who died Sunday after nearly a month in hospitals, was a former Minneapolis resident, active in her church and its choir, who loved flowers and taught crafts to her grandchildren. She had helped set up for the church supper the day before it was held, her daughter said.

In the past six weeks, E. coli has sickened at least 17 people and perhaps as many as 30 around Longville, the Minnesota Department of Health reported Tuesday. Nine people were hospitalized; Hawkinson and one other with serious complications.

The entire article is available on the Star-Tribune Web site at www.startribune.com.

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09.aug.06
The Pilot-Independent (Walker, Minnesota) Gail DeBoer

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has confirmed that it is investigating a foodborne illness outbreak in the Longville area.

Media spokesperson Doug Schultz said Monday afternoon that 15 cases have been reported to MDH of individuals who have had symptoms of E. coli infection.

Of those, four people tested positive for the E. coli strain O157:H7. As of Friday, at least two people were hospitalized in what Schultz termed "relatively serious condition."

According to Schultz, MDH has determined that most, but not all of the cases have an association with a July 19 potluck at Salem Lutheran Church in Longville.

However, he noted that at least three individuals did not attend the potluck.

"We are still investigating a number of other events and are looking at other possibilities," he stated.

"It may be that we won't be able to determine a single source. We just want to make sure there isn't a source out there that would pose an ongoing public health risk."

E. coli and the O157:H7 strain

E. coli bacteria live in the intestines of humans and animals, and most are harmless. There are as many as 100 different strains, including some found in lake water and soil.

However, the O157:H7 strain produces a powerful toxin that results in severe illness in humans. People ingest E. coli on contaminated foodstuff, through hand-to-mouth contact, or from contaminated water.

Such E. coli infections usually produce severe bloody diarrhea and abdominal cramps but are resolved in five to 10 days without treatment.

In about 2 to 7 percent of cases, the pathogens cause a severe complication called hemolytic-uremic syndrome, in which red blood cells are destroyed and kidneys fail.

How to contact MDH

Schultz asks that anyone from the Longville area who has experienced bloody diarrhea since July 10 call MDH at (877) 676-5414.

Anyone in the community who is experiencing those symptoms also should not prepare food for others, swim in a pool, or do anything that could spread the infection, he cautioned.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, raw and undercooked meat often are carriers of E. coli. Other possibilities include lettuce, including prepackaged salad greens, alfalfa sprouts, and unpasteurized juice, cider or milk.

Schultz said that in the Longville outbreak, it is assumed those who became ill contracted the bacteria from the primary food source, not person-to-person transmission.

"We may not ever know exactly what they ate, but using statistics, we can figure out the most likely culprit, " he predicted.

Salem responds

Monday afternoon, Pastor John Monson of Salem Lutheran Church said MDH was still conducting interviews to determine common links for the outbreak.

MDH had been unable to reach one family that might have a key bit of information, but Monson said he hoped to put MDH in contact with them.

Monson also stressed that some cases involve non-church members and people who did not attend the July 19 smorgasbord. Some reports were as early as July 8, suggesting "this may be a fairly-widespread community-sourced illness."

"Our congregation is concerned about the health of our community and is doing whatever possible to assist the MDH in their research," Monson stressed. "Since the MDH inquiry is ongoing, we can only wait for their conclusions and hope that their discoveries may help prevent future outbreaks.

Just to be on the safe side, Salem Lutheran Church decided to cancel its August smorgasbord, had its water supply checked and its food service area double-checked.

Reporting process

Reports of an outbreak of foodborne illness come to MDH in a number of ways. Typically someone who is ill calls MDH's foodborne illness hotline.

"If we get a number of different calls, we start to look at them," Schultz said.

Doctors who suspect an E. coli outbreak also are required to report to MDH. When doctors send in specimens and MDH gets a positive report at its lab, it begins investigating the incident.

Schultz said he did not know how cases were reported here, "but through those tracking mechanisms, it's not too difficult to spot a cluster." He said that, to his knowledge, this was the first E. coli outbreak in the state this summer.

Countermeasures

Some of the countermeasures to guard against E. coli include cooking all meat above 160 degrees to kill the bacteria; washing fruits and vegetables; drinking only pasteurized milk, juice or cider; washing and disinfecting all cooking utensils, counters and other food preparation surfaces; not swallowing lake or pool water; and diligent hand-washing.

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