There are now 10 people sick in the Twin Sisters raw milk cheese E. coli outbreak, according to the Washington State Department of Health (DOH). Nine of the patients live in Washington state, and one lives in Oregon. One person has been hospitalized. The cheeses have been recalled.
All cases have illness onset dates before the cheese was recalled on October 24, 2025. There are two serotypes of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) bacteria in this outbreak: E. coli O103 and E. coli O26.
Two Washington residents and one Oregon resident are infected with E. coli O103. Whole genome sequencing of these isolates is extremely similar to the E. coli O103 found in the Twin Sisters Creamery Farmhouse and Whatcom Blue cheeses.
Six Washington residents are infected with E. coli O26. Again, whole genome sequencing of these isolates is very similar to one of the Twin Sisters Creamery cheeses: Peppercorn Farmhouse.
The Farmhouse cheese was opened and collected from a patient’s home. It was tested in a commercial lab. The Whatcom Blue cheese was purchased at a retail store; it was tested by the Washington State Department of Agriculture. The Peppercorn Farmhouse cheese was taken from a patient’s home; it was unopened. It was tested by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Finally, the Farmhouse variety was collected at a retail store. The Washington State Public Health laboratory tested the cheese. It was positive for E. coli NOS (not otherwise specified – this strain of Shiga toxin is not typeable at this lab).
If you bought any of these cheeses, do not eat them. You can throw them away in a secure trash can after first double bagging them, or you can take them back to the place of purchase for a full refund.
If you ate any of these cheeses, monitor your health for the symptoms of an E. coli infection for the next week to 10 days. If you do get sick, see your doctor.
If you have been sickened with a food poisoning infection, please contact our experienced attorneys for help with a possible lawsuit at 1-888-377-8900 or text us at 612-261-0856. Our firm represents clients in lawsuits against grocery stores, restaurants, and food processors.
