Federico’s Mexican Restaurant in Litchfield Park, Arizona, is at the center of an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 that has sickened at least 11 to 15 people who ate there or purchased food from the establishment. The Maricopa County Departments of Public Health and Environmental Services in collaboration with the Arizona Department of Health Services are investigating and said in a news release that the outbreak appears to be linked to the Federico’s Mexican Restaurant located at 13132 W Camelback in Litchfield Park, about 20 miles west of downtown Phoenix. At least seven people have been hospitalized in the West Valley food poisoning outbreak. Several of the victims know each other.
“So far, at least 11 of the 15 individuals with bloody diarrhea that MCDPH has been able to interview have either purchased food from or eaten at this particular Federico’s,” the agency said. “MCDPH has also received preliminary laboratory results indicating that the bacteria causing the illness is E. coli O157.” Dr. Bob England, the health department’s director, said investigators are pressing to discover the cause, nothing that only one Federico’s restaurant is involved. “We have all hands on deck to figure out the specific source,” England said.
Federico’s officials have voluntarily shut down the Litchfield Park restaurant and public food safety inspectors have gone through the facility and taken food samples, said Maricopa County Environmental Services Department Deputy Director Stephen Goode. The restaurant chain bills itself as having “the best Mexican fast food in Arizona.”
Meanwhile, the county is vowing to release additional information as it becomes available. England said questions that remain include what specific food may have been contaminated, how the food was contaminated and how many people have been exposed. If you or a loved one has been stricken by watery or bloody diarrhea after eating at this particular Federico’s, officials are advising an immediate health care visit so a stool culture can be ordered. Options for people without a health care provider include urgent care centers or community health centers.
E. coli O157:H7 can cause kidney failure as part of a life-threatening complication known as HUS, or hemolytic uremic syndrome. Children age 5 and under are the most susceptible to HUS, as are older adults and others who have compromised immune systems, including some cancer patients. E. coli lawyer Fred Pritzker said it is important for health care providers to suspect toxic E. coli in their diagnoses because treating children with antibiotics can increase the risk of serious consequences.
