There are 4 confirmed cases of E. coli and 6 suspected in an outbreak that has been associated with a Lombard, IL, restaurant. Prompted by this outbreak, health officials from DuPage County temporarily closed the Mexican restaurant.
E. coli is a bacteria that causes severe, sometimes fatal infections. It is transmitted when someone ingests microscopic amounts of fecal matter. Symptoms, which usually appear within seven days of exposure, include abdominal cramping, vomiting and diarrhea that is sometimes bloody.
Complications from an E. coli infection can be serious. A current outbreak in Wellesley, Mass., for example, includes three women who all developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which can lead to kidney failure, seizure, stroke and coma.
Most cases of HUS are preceded by E. coli infections. About 15 percent of children under 10 who contract E. coli infections develop HUS. Last month, an E. coli outbreak associated with the BBQ Shack in Toccoa, GA sickened 18 people. Five of those people developed HUS.
