One death in Brookshire Farms E. coli outbreak in California has been reported, according to news sources. There is nothing on the San Luis Obispo Health Department about this tragedy. And we do not know if the person who died was a child or an adult. The farm offered a pumpkin patch for people to visit, along with food.
Another 10 people who visited the farm may be sick too. Five people did test positive for the pathogen. And among those five, three patients are children who are in intensive care. That means they likely developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which is a type of kidney failure that is a complication of this Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) infection.
The SLO County Health Department told the Cal Coast Newsroom, “Some potential exposures common to infected individuals remain notable, including edible corn cups, pumpkins, hay, and non-potable water sources, although no specific source of the E. coli O157 was identified. No farm animals or petting zoos, which are a common source of STEC, were available to the public or operating within the farm premises.” Officials do not believe there is a risk to the public at this point.
All five patients who tested positive visited the farm on October 17 or 18, 2026. Three of the patient isolates were a genetic match, which means they got sick from exposure to the same source.
Testing of water, food and other samples at the farm did not find E. coli specifically. Other strains of that pathogen were found, but the testing did not find the source of the outbreak. As is typical with an outbreak, testing is limited because there were so many sources to test, and there were delays between the time of exposure and the sampling time.
Other similar outbreaks in the past have been linked to farm animals or petting zoos, so it is unusual that animals are not the source in this outbreak. However, E. coli bacteria can contaminate any food or drink, or a sick person can cause an outbreak.
