According to various state heath departments a May E. coli O145 Outbreak in TN (1 ill), LA (2 ill and 1 death), GA (5 ill), AL (2 ill) and FL (1 ill) has sickened 12 – perhaps others – no source known.  Here are some past E. coli O145 outbreaks:

Zillman Meat Market Ready-to-Eat, Custom, Smoked Meat Products Made From Game 2010:  An outbreak of E. coli O145 was linked to the consumption of ready-to-eat, custom, smoked meat products that were made from game. These products were produced and sold by the Zillman Meat Market in Wausau, Wisconsin between September 30 and December 28. Fresh meat products apparently were not implicated in the outbreak. Four cases were known in Wisconsin, and three were known in Michigan. The cases in the two states are linked in that they shared Zillman smoked meat products among themselves.

Venison 2010:  An outbreak of non-O157 Shiga toxin–producing Escherichia coli occurred among students at a high school in Minnesota, in November 2010. The students had handled and consumed venison from a wild white-tailed deer in a high school class. Consuming undercooked venison and not washing hands after handling raw venison were associated with illness. E. coli O103:H2 (2 isolates) and non-Shiga toxin–producing E. coli O145:NM (1 isolate) were isolated from ill students and the venison.

Freshway Foods Romaine Lettuce 2010, non-O157 STEC:  Cases of a genetically identical strain of E. coli O145 were identified in the states of Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, and New York. Illness onsets occurred between April 10 and 26. Several of the cases were students at Ohio State University, the University of Michigan, and Daemen College (Buffalo, New York). Several of the ill in Ann Arbor, Michigan, had eaten at a common restaurant. At least four students in the Wappinger Central School District, in New York State, were also involved in the outbreak. Shredded lettuce served in the school district tested positive for E. coli bacteria. Romaine lettuce was named as the vehicle for this outbreak, on May 6, after the same strain of E. coli O145 was found in a Freshway Foods romaine lettuce sample in New York State. Freshway Foods issued a voluntary recall of various bagged lettuces. The traceback investigation suggested that the source of the lettuce was a farm in Yuma, Arizona. In Ohio, a second, independent strain, of pathogenic E. coli was isolated from Freshway Foods bagged, shredded, romaine lettuce, E. coli O143:H34. This strain was not linked to any known food-borne illness. The isolation of the second strain of E. coli led to an additional recall of lettuce. Andrew Smith Company, of California, launched a recall of lettuce sold to Vaughan Foods and to an unidentified third firm in Massachusetts. Vaughan Foods of Moore, Oklahoma, received romaine lettuce harvested from the same farm in Yuma, Arizona; the romaine lettuce had been distributed to restaurants and food service facilities.

Belgian Pasteurized Ice Cream 2007, Non-O157 STEC:  People who had eaten ice cream produced and sold at a farm in Antwerp developed Verotoxin-producing E. coli (VTEC). The pasteurized ice cream was served at two birthday parties and at the farm. Two strains of E. coli were involved in this outbreak E. coli O145 and E. coli O26. The identical strains of E. coli were found in leftover ice cream, in fecal samples from calves, and in samples of soiled straw at the farm. The pasteurization technique used by the farm appeared adequate. Because of the presence of the same bacteria on the farm, it seemed likely to the investigators that a farm worker could have contaminated the ice cream after it had been pasteurized.

Camp Yamhill Multiple Pathogen Drinking Water 2005:  An outbreak of gastroenteritis occurred at a camp in Oregon. The outbreak was caused by multiple pathogens such as E. coli O157:H7, Campylobacter, and E. coli O145. The water system may have been overwhelmed surface water runoff caused by heavy rainfall.

Minnesota Day Care Person-to-Person 1999:  Two children at a Minnesota day care program became ill due to E. coli O145. The infection was spread from person-to-person.

Marler Clark, The Food Safety Law Firm, is the nation’s leading law firm representing victims of E. coli outbreaks and hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). The E. coli lawyers of Marler Clark have represented thousands of victims of E. coli and other foodborne illness infections and have recovered over $600 million for clients. Marler Clark is the only law firm in the nation with a practice focused exclusively on foodborne illness litigation. Our E. coli lawyers have litigated E. coli and HUS cases stemming from outbreaks traced to ground beef, raw milk, lettuce, spinach, sprouts, and other food products. The law firm has brought E. coli lawsuits against such companies as Jack in the Box, Dole, ConAgra, Cargill, and Jimmy John’s.

If you or a family member became ill with an E. coli infection or HUS after consuming food and you’re interested in pursuing a legal claim, contact the Marler Clark E. coli attorneys for a free case evaluation.

A few months ago the CDC refused to name Taco Bell as the source of a Salmonella outbreak that sickened many.  Now it seems like South Carolina is learning that bad behavior.

The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) is requesting heightened surveillance for persons presenting with symptoms consistent with Shiga toxin producing E. coli (i.e., enterohemorrhagic E. coli), including diarrhea that is often bloody, hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) in children or thrombocytopenia purpura in adults.

DHEC is investigating an outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) related to dining at a Spartanburg-area Mexican restaurant during the last week of April, 2012. Preliminary lab results indicate the E. coli serotype being O157:H7. Of the 3 cases interviewed thus far, two reported the infection has progressed to hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a severe condition associated with STEC infection that can lead to kidney failure. Interviews with an additional 8 cases are in progress.

WKYT TV reports that so far at least three central Kentucky children are now recovering after investigators suspect they were exposed to E. coli.

6-year-old Ramsey King is one of three kindergarten students at Stanford Elementary recovering from suspected E. coli exposure. King is one of two children still at UK Hospital where doctors have already confirmed at least one of the cases as E. coli.

School officials insist Stanford Elementary followed all safety procedures, prompting health investigators to continue looking for the source of the problem.

According to Kentucky news media, as many as three Stanford Elementary School kindergarten students may have contracted E. coli according to Ronnie Deatherage, director of operations for the Lincoln County Public Schools.  State and local health officials are investigating the case and have examined the elementary school cafeteria without finding a cause. Two of the 5-year-olds became ill within the last few days, Deatheridge said. They are being treated at University of Kentucky Children’s Hospital.

Prior School Outbreaks:

Finley Elementary School E. coli Outbreak – Washington

Robeson Schools E. coli Outbreak – North Carolina

Prior Daycare/School Settings:

Kid’s Korner Daycare E. coli Outbreak – Missouri

Kindercare E. coli Outbreak – California

CCC Alternative Learning Daycare E. coli Outbreak – Texas

KBIR reports, three children are in the hospital following an E. coli outbreak at a Cocke County daycare facility.

According to the Tennessee Department of Health, three juveniles, all of whom attend the same daycare facility in Newport, were diagnosed with E. coli symptoms.

The source of the bacteria is currently unknown, but managers of the facility are working with investigators, and the families of all children who attend the daycare have been contacted.

State health department officials have not closed the facility, but are continuing to investigate the situation.

There have been a few other Day Care E. coli O157:H7 Outbreaks some with severe consequences – hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS):

• CCC Alternative Learning Daycare E. coli Outbreak – Texas

• Kid’s Korner Daycare E. coli Outbreak – Missouri

• Kindercare E. coli Outbreak – California

Nineteen people in Oregon are ill with E. coli O157:H7 infections in an outbreak traced to raw milk from Foundation Farm near Wilsonville according to the Public Health Division of the state’s Health Authority. Of the 19 people, 11 have culture-confirmed E. coli O157:H7 infections. Fifteen of the 19 cases are children 19 or younger. Four of the children have been hospitalized with kidney failure. On April 19, a Portland hospital confirmed that one of the hospitalized children, a 13-year-old girl, was in critical condition.

Illnesses in the ongoing E. coli O157:H7 outbreak in central Missouri rose to 15 on Friday, while information on the individual infections suggests they may come from multiple sources. Of the 15 cases, seven individuals have reported that they consumed raw milk products from a single dairy in Howard County. As a result, the dairy has been under investigation and has halted sales of its raw milk products. The E. coli infections in six of those seven raw milk drinkers have shown to match by their identifiable genetic pattern known as a pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE).

The infection of the seventh raw milk drinker, the newest addition to the total number ill, has a different PFGE pattern, though one that is very similar to the other six, according to epidemiologist Sarah Rainey at Missouri’s Columbia-Boone County Health Department. Of the other eight illnesses, the ones who did not report consuming raw milk products, only one individual has a PFGE pattern matching the raw milk drinkers. The other seven infections vary genetically or have not returned a PFGE reading.

The newest case in the outbreak is a child under 18 from Boone County who was hospitalized from the infection but has since been released. A 2-year-old from Boone County has been hospitalized for more than two weeks after developing symptoms of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a kidney disease associated with severe E. coli infections.

E. coli outbreaks associated with lettuce or spinach, specifically the “pre-washed” and “ready-to-eat” varieties, are by no means a new phenomenon.  In fact, the frequency with which this country’s fresh produce consuming public has been hit by outbreaks of pathogenic bacteria is astonishing.  By way of illustration, in October 2003, thirteen residents of a California retirement home were sickened, and two people died, after eating E. coli-contaminated, pre-washed spinach; in September 2003, nearly forty patrons of a California restaurant chain fell ill after eating salads prepared with bagged, pre-washed lettuce; and in July 2002, over fifty young women fell ill with E. coli O157:H7 at a dance camp after eating “pre-washed” lettuce, leaving several hospitalized and one with life-long kidney damage.  And this is just a small sampling of the twenty or more E. coli outbreaks since 1995 in which spinach or lettuce was the source.  Several more, including the September 2005 Dole lettuce outbreak, and the infamous September 2006 Dole baby spinach outbreak, appear in the chart below, which is based on information gathered by the Center for Science in the Public Interest:

As of December 4, 2011, 60 persons infected with the outbreak strain of E. coli O157:H7 have been reported from10 states. The number of ill persons identified in each state is as follows: Arizona (1), Arkansas (2), Georgia (1), Illinois (9), Indiana (2), Kansas (3), Kentucky (1), Minnesota (3), Missouri (37), and Nebraska (1).

Among persons for whom information is available, illnesses began from October 10, 2011 to November 4, 2011. Ill persons ranged in age from 1 to 94 years, with a median age of 29 years old. Sixty-three percent were female. Among the 45 ill persons with available information, 30 (67%) were hospitalized, and 2 developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). No deaths have been reported.

Collaborative investigative efforts of state, local, and federal public health agencies indicate that romaine lettuce sold primarily at several locations of a single grocery store chain (Chain A) was the likely source of illnesses in this outbreak. Contamination likely occurred before the product reached grocery store Chain A locations.

During October 10 to November 4, 2011, public health officials in several states and CDC conducted an epidemiologic study by comparing foods eaten by 22 ill and 82 well persons, including 45 well persons who shopped at grocery store Chain A during the week of October 17, 2011. Analysis of this study indicates that eating romaine lettuce was associated with illness. Ill persons (85%) were significantly more likely than well persons (46%) to report eating romaine lettuce in the week before illness. Ill persons (86%) were also significantly more likely than well persons (55%) to report shopping at grocery store Chain A. Among ill and well persons who shopped at grocery store Chain A, ill persons (89%) were significantly more likely than well persons (9%) to report eating a salad from the salad bar at grocery store Chain A. Several different types of lettuce were offered on the salad bar at grocery store Chain A. Of 18 ill persons who reported the type of lettuce eaten, 94% reported eating romaine lettuce. No other type of lettuce or other item offered on the salad bar was reported to be eaten by more than 55% of ill persons.

Ill persons reported purchasing salads from salad bars at grocery store Chain A between October 5 and October 24, 2011. A total of 9 locations of grocery store Chain A were identified where more than one ill person reported purchasing a salad from the salad bar in the week before becoming ill. This included 2 separate locations where 4 ill persons reported purchasing a salad at each location. For locations where more than one ill person reported purchasing a salad from the salad bar and the date of purchase was known, dates of purchase were all within 4 days of other ill persons purchasing a salad at that same location. Chain A fully cooperated with the investigation and voluntarily removed suspected food items from the salad bar on October 26, 2011, out of an abundance of caution. Romaine lettuce served on salad bars at all locations of grocery store Chain A had come from a single lettuce processing facility via a single distributor. This indicates that contamination of romaine lettuce likely occurred before the product reached grocery store Chain A locations.

The FDA and several state agencies conducted traceback investigations for romaine lettuce to try to identify the source of contamination. Traceback investigations focused on ill persons who had eaten at salad bars at several locations of grocery store Chain A and ill persons at university campuses in Minnesota (1 ill person) and Missouri (2 ill persons). Traceback analysis determined that a single common lot of romaine lettuce harvested from Farm A was used to supply the grocery store Chain A locations as well as the university campus in Minnesota during the time of the illnesses. This lot was also provided to a distributor that supplied lettuce to the university campus in Missouri, but records were not sufficient to determine if this lot was sent to this university campus. Preliminary findings of investigation at Farm A did not identify the source of the contamination. Farm A was no longer in production during the time of the investigation.