As of November 9, 2020, a total of 12 people infected with the outbreak strain of E. coli O157:H7 have been reported from six states.

Illnesses started on dates ranging from September 2, 2020, to October 14, 2020. Ill people range in age from 8 to 62 years, with a median age of 21 years. Sixty-seven percent of ill people are female. Of 11 ill people with information available, 5 have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.

Illnesses might not yet be reported due to the time it takes between when a person becomes ill and when the illness is reported. This takes an average of 2 to 4 weeks. Please see the Timeline for Reporting Cases of E. coli O157 Infection for more details.

On November 6, 2020, Tanimura & Antle recalled packaged single head romaine lettuce after the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) identified E. coli O157:H7 in a sample of the packaged romaine lettuce. WGS results showed that the E. coli strain in the romaine lettuce sample was closely related genetically to the E. coli strain identified in ill people.

State and local public health officials are interviewing ill people to determine what they ate and other exposures in the week before they got sick. Of the 11 people interviewed, all reported eating various types of leafy greens, including romaine lettuce (5), spinach (5), iceberg lettuce (3), and red leaf lettuce (3).

There is not enough epidemiologic and traceback information available at this time to determine if ill people got sick from eating Tanimura & Antle romaine lettuce. The investigation is ongoing to determine if additional products may be contaminated with the outbreak strain of E. coli.

Do not eat, sell, or serve Tanimura & Antle’s recalled packaged single head romaine lettuce.

Tanimura & Antle Inc. is voluntarily recalling its packaged single head romaine lettuce under the Tanimura & Antle brand, labeled with a packed on date of 10/15/2020 or 10/16/2020, due to possible contamination with E. Coli 0157:H7. Packages contain a single head of romaine lettuce with the UPC number 0-27918-20314-9. No other products or pack dates are being recalled. There have been no reported illnesses associated with the recalled product.

The recall is being conducted in consultation with FDA, and is based on the test result of a random sample collected and analyzed by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development as part of their routine sampling program. A total of 3,396 cartons of potentially affected product were distributed in the United States to the following states: AK, OR, CA, TX, AR, OK, IN, NE, MO, TN, WI, NM, SC, WA, NC, OH, VA, MA, PR, and IL.

The potentially affected product was shipped in cases packed in either 12, 15, 18 or 24 heads per case. Retailers and distributors can identify the potentially affected products through the Produce Traceability Initiative (PTI) sticker attached to exterior of the case. The PTI codes are 571280289SRS1 and 571280290SRS1.

E. coli O157:H7 causes a diarrheal illness often with bloody stools. Although most healthy adults can recover completely within a week, some people can develop a form of kidney failure called Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS). HUS is most likely to occur in young children and the elderly. The condition can lead to serious kidney damage and even death. If consumers are experiencing any of the above symptoms, please contact your physician.

Mystery E. coli Outbreak 1 – possibly linked to 2018 Yuma Romaine E. coli Outbreak.

As of October 28, 2020, a total of 21 people infected with the outbreak strain of E. coli O157:H7 have been reported from eight states.

Illnesses started on dates ranging from June 6, 2020, to October 5, 2020. Ill people range in age from  2 to 75 years, with a median age of 24 years. Sixty-seven percent of ill people are female. Of 16 ill people with information available, 8 hospitalizations have been reported, including 1 person who developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a type of kidney failure. One death has been reported from Michigan.

Several ill people have been identified as part of an illness cluster at a restaurant. An illness cluster is defined as two or more people from different households who report eating at the same restaurant location, attending a common event, or purchasing food at the same grocery store in the week before becoming ill. Investigating illness clusters can provide critical clues about the source of an outbreak. If several unrelated ill people ate or shopped at the same location of a restaurant or store within several days of each other, it suggests that the contaminated food item was served or sold there.

The strain of E. coli O157:H7 causing illness in this outbreak has previously caused outbreaks linked to different sources, including an outbreak linked to romaine lettuce in 2018. However, food linked to a previous outbreak alone is not enough to prove a link in another outbreak of the same strain. This is because different foods can be contaminated by the same strain of bacteria.

Mystery E. coli Outbreak 2 – possibly linked to 2019 Salinas Romaine E. coli Outbreak.

As of October 28, 2020, a total of 23 people infected with the outbreak strain of E. coli O157:H7 have been reported from 12 states.

Illnesses started on dates ranging from August 17, 2020, to October 8, 2020. Ill people range in age from 5 to 81 years, with a median age of 21 years. Sixty-seven percent of ill people are female. Of 15 ill people with information available, 10 hospitalizations have been reported, including 2 people who developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a type of kidney failure. No deaths have been reported.

State and local public health officials are interviewing ill people to determine what they ate and other exposures in the week before they got sick. People have reported eating a variety of foods, including leafy greens. Of the 13 people interviewed to date, all reported eating various types of leafy greens, like iceberg lettuce (9), romaine lettuce (8), mixed bag lettuce (6), and spinach (9).

This outbreak is caused by the same strain of E. coli O157:H7 that caused an outbreak linked to romaine lettuce in 2019. However, food linked to a previous outbreak alone is not enough to prove a link in another outbreak of the same strain. This is because different foods can be contaminated by the same strain of bacteria.

In the beginning of yet another – in fact two E. coli Outbreaks that have sickened dozens, Marler Clark, The Nation’s Food Safety Law Firm, relaunches www.about-ecoli.com.

E. coli: 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 $700 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.  We have proudly represented such victims as Brianne Kiner, Stephanie Smith and Linda Rivera.

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.

Additional Resources

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is issuing a public health alert because approximately 70 pounds of raw beef ravioli products, produced by P&S Ravioli Company, a Philadelphia, Pa. establishment, may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7. A recall was not requested because the affected product is no longer available for purchase.

However, FSIS is concerned that some product may be in consumers’ freezers. Consumers who have purchased these products should not consume them. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.

The frozen, raw ground beef ravioli items were produced on April 30, 2020. The following product is subject to the public health alert: [View Label (PDF only)]

13-oz. boxes containing “P&S RAVOLI COMPANY 12 JUMBO MEAT RAVIOLI” with a use-by date of 11/30/2020 and lot code 20121.
The products bear establishment number “EST. 2736” inside the USDA mark of inspection. These items were shipped to a limited number of retail locations in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

The problem was discovered when P&S Ravioli Company was notified by their third-party laboratory that a sample was positive for E. coli O157:H7, but the products associated with the sample had already been shipped into commerce. The establishment notified FSIS of the sampling results and subsequently controlled all product remaining for sale.

There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products. Anyone concerned about an injury or illness should contact a healthcare provider.

E. coli O157:H7 is a potentially deadly bacterium that can cause dehydration, bloody diarrhea and abdominal cramps 2–8 days (3–4 days, on average) after exposure the organism. While most people recover within a week, some develop a type of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). This condition can occur among persons of any age but is most common in children under 5-years old and older adults. It is marked by easy bruising, pallor, and decreased urine output. Persons who experience these symptoms should seek emergency medical care immediately.

Up from last months count of 39 , the CDC announced today that a total of 51 people infected with the outbreak strain of E. coli O103 were reported from 10 states – Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, Texas, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Florida, Virginia and New York.

Illnesses started on dates ranging from January 6, 2020, to March 15, 2020. Ill people ranged in age from 1 to 79 years, with a median age of 29 years. Fifty-five percent of ill people were female. Of 41 ill people with information available, 3 were hospitalized and no deaths were reported.

Epidemiologic, traceback, and laboratory evidence indicated that clover sprouts were the source of this outbreak.

Seventeen (63%) of 27 people interviewed reported eating sprouts at a Jimmy John’s restaurant. Jimmy John’s LLC reported that all of their restaurants stopped serving clover sprouts on February 24, 2020. Clover sprouts are no longer available at Jimmy John’s restaurants.

Additionally, FDA identified the outbreak strain of E. coli O103 in samples of Chicago Indoor Garden products that contain sprouts. On March 16, 2020, Chicago Indoor Garden recalled all products containing red clover sprouts.

FDA’s traceback investigationexternal icon showed that a common seed lot was used to grow both the sprouts recalled by Chicago Indoor Garden and sprouts that were served at some Jimmy John’s locations. The same seed lot was also used to grow sprouts linked to an outbreak of the same strain of E. coli O103 infections in 2019.

As of March 17, 2020, 39 people infected with the outbreak strain of E. coli O103 have been reported from six states – Florida (1), Illinois (6), Iowa (3), Missouri (1), Texas (1) andUtah (27).

Illnesses started on dates ranging from January 6, 2020, to March 2, 2020. Ill people range in age from 1 to 79 years, with a median age of 28. Fifty-three percent of ill people are female. Two people have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.

Epidemiologic, traceback, and laboratory evidence indicate that clover sprouts are the source of this outbreak.

State and local public health officials are interviewing ill people to determine what they ate and other exposures they had in the week before their illness started. Sixteen (59%) of 27 people interviewed reported eating sprouts. This percentage is significantly higher than results from a survey of healthy people in which 8% reported eating sprouts in the week before they were interviewed. Fourteen (58%) of 24 people interviewed reported eating sprouts at a Jimmy John’s restaurant.

Jimmy John’s LLC reported that all of their restaurants stopped serving clover sprouts on February 24, 2020. Clover sprouts should no longer be available at Jimmy John’s restaurants.

FDA identified the outbreak strain of E. coli O103 in samples of Chicago Indoor Garden products that contain sprouts. On March 16, 2020, Chicago Indoor Garden recalled all products containing red clover sprouts.

FDA’s traceback investigation has shown that a common seed lot was used to grow the sprouts recalled by Chicago Indoor Garden and the sprouts that were served at Jimmy John’s locations where people sickened in the current outbreak reported eating. The same seed lot was also used to grow sprouts linked to an outbreak of the same strain of E. coli O103 infections in 2019.

Florida Department of Health was notified of at least three E. coli O157 cases in January 2019 who dined at Bern’s Steak House, located in Tampa, Florida. In food history interviews, these cases reported dining at Bern’s between January 2 – January 7. For these three cases, illness onset occurred between January 8 – January 11.

At least two of these cases made a foodborne illness complaint against Bern’s at their local health department. It is not clear if any investigation was conducted at the restaurant by the Florida Department of Health in response to these complaints. However, online information regarding inspection history of Tampa, Florida restaurants suggests that an investigation was conducted at Bern’s on January 16, at which point 11 violations were noted.

The inspector observed several notable violations including ready-to-eat, potentially hazardous, foods requiring time and/or temperature control being inadequately held for more than 24 hours as well as multiple instances of employees handling ready-to-eat food with bare hands without any subsequent “kill” step. Further, handwash sinks were improperly stocked, and the required handwashing signs were absent from employee handwash sinks. Other citations included issues with storage of personal belongings, container and kitchen tool defects, unmarked and undated foods. A follow-up visit on January 22 found these issues to be corrected, yet an observation regarding use of cutting boards that were in an uncleanable state was noted and subsequently found to be unremedied a week later.

Additional inspection records leading up to the January inspections demonstrate a history of similar health code violations. Specifically, inadequately stocked employee handwash facilities were a chronic violation and observations of improperly maintained food handling equipment were regularly cited.

As of February 25, 2020, 14 people infected with the outbreak strain of E. coli O103 have been reported from five states.

Illnesses started on dates ranging from January 6, 2020, to February 11, 2020. Ill people range in age from 1 to 79 years, with a median age of 28. Sixty-two percent of ill people are male. No hospitalizations and no deaths have been reported.

Illnesses might not yet be reported due to the time it takes between when a person becomes ill and when the illness is reported. This takes an average of 3 to 4 weeks. Please see the Timeline for Reporting Cases of E. coli Infection for more details.

Epidemiologic evidence indicates that sprouts from Jimmy John’s restaurants are a likely source of this outbreak.

State and local public health officials are interviewing ill people to determine what they ate and other exposures in the week before their illness started. Five of six people (83%) interviewed reported eating at a Jimmy John’s restaurant. Of the six people interviewed, four (67%) remembered eating sprouts on a sandwich from Jimmy John’s.

Jimmy John’s LLC reported that all of its restaurants stopped serving clover sprouts on February 24, 2020. Investigators are working to trace the source of the clover sprouts served at the Jimmy John’s restaurants where sick people ate, and to determine whether other restaurants or retailers received the same clover sprouts.

On October 1, 2019, Salt Lake County Health Department launched an investigation into Spitz restaurant, including the location at 3158 E 6200 Street in Holladay, Utah, after two cases with confirmed and matching Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O157 infections were reported to have eaten there. Both confirmed cases were male and between 20-49 years of age.

The health department also identified another ill case who had consumed food from a Spitz location in Utah County. A total of four laboratory confirmed cases were considered part of this outbreak. Exposure to two different Spitz locations occurred on September 9 – September 12, 2019. Cases fell ill with nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramping, and bloody diarrhea between September 11 and September 17, and two cases were hospitalized. This cluster was assigned the CDC cluster code 1909UTEXH-1.

Inspection of the restaurant confirmed that the location had issues with proper holding temperatures for meat on the spit and issues with proper procedures for raw and ready-to-eat meats. The location staff were also noted to lack food safety knowledge.