With nine confirmed cases and four hospitalizations, Michigan has been hit hard by the Jimmy John’s E. coli outbreak. The outbreak, linked to tainted clover sprouts, has sickened at least 25 people in eight states, according to the latest update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Federal investigators say the sprouts were tainted before they arrived at Jimmy John’s locations throughout Michigan where residents in Kent, Macomb, Oakland, Washtenaw and Wayne counties fell ill.
The nine confirmed cases of E. coli poisoning genetically match the E.coli 026 outbreak strain. The patients range in age from 19-50 and became ill after eating at Jimmy John’s between February 6 and February 12.
Symptoms of an E.coli infection include abdominal cramps and watery or bloody diarrhea. Infections are diagnosed from stool samples.
Michigan health authorities recommend that people refrain form eating raw sprouts until further notice and that anyone who ate raw sprouts and developed symptoms of an E.coli infection contact a health care provider.
