Two Los Amigos Mexican Grill Restaurants in the Boston, Massachusetts area have been closed, and one is linked to a Salmonella outbreak, according to news reports. The Boston Public Health Commission confirmed to WCVB that it is investigating an emerging outbreak linked to one of the restaurants. There is no word on the number of people sick or if anyone has been hospitalized. The two restaurants were closed on May 18 and May 19, 2023. According to the City of Boston Inspectional Services, the Los Amigos at 366 Washington Street in Brighton, Massachusetts was closed on May 18. Violations included certified food managers certificate expired, no sanitizer set up, wire rack shelving units with visible rust and soil, and interior walls and ceiling of the walk in unit with visible soil … [Read more...]
E. coli HUS Outbreak: Forty Sick, CDC Says Avoid All Romaine From Salinas, CA
The CDC just posted a food safety alert, telling consumers that in the wake of the newest E. coli HUS outbreak, they should avoid buying or eating all romaine lettuce from the Salinas, California growing region until more information is available. This is an echo of the same advice from the CDC last April, when another, deadly E. coli O157:H7 outbreak was linked to romaine. The advice in 2018 was to avoid all romaine lettuce until officials found the source. This newest outbreak is growing by leaps and bounds. Now 40 people in 16 states are sick. That's an increase of 23 more patients and 8 more states in just the last two days. Twenty-eight people have been hospitalized, which is a very high percentage of cases. Five people have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which is a … [Read more...]
Deadly Salmonella Cucumber Outbreak Grows to 671 Sick
The Salmonella Poona outbreak linked to cucumbers imported by Andrew & Williamson Fresh Produce has grown to include 671 people sick in 34 states. Three people have died from their infections, and 131 people have been hospitalized. Alabama was added to the list of states with ill persons. This is an increase of 113 cases since the last update on September 22, 2015. Now, 51% of ill persons are children younger than the age of 18. The case count by state is: Alabama (1), Alaska (13), Arizona (112), Arkansas (9), California (164), Colorado (17), Hawaii (1), Idaho (22), Illinois (8), Indiana (2), Iowa (5), Kansas (2), Kentucky (1), Louisiana (5), Minnesota (34), Missouri (10), Montana (14), Nebraska (5), Nevada (13), New Mexico (30), New York (5), North Dakota (3), Ohio (2), … [Read more...]
E. coli O157:H7 Outbreak Linked to Trader Joe Glass Onion Salads 2013
In 2013, an E. coli 0157:H7 outbreak linked to Trader Joe's Glass Onion ready-to-eat salads sickened 33 people in 4 states. Two patients developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) as a result of their infections. HUS is a type of kidney failure. E. coli bacteria are found in the intestinal tracts of mammals, particularly cattle. So how did this bacteria get into prepared salads? A recent study from the Food Standards Agency in the UK may provide some answers, even though the federal investigation did not pinpoint the ingredient that was contaminated in this outbreak or the method of contamination. Cross-contamination is the cause of many food poisoning outbreaks when the food doesn't naturally carry the disease-causing bacteria. Facilities that produce ready-to-eat foods use … [Read more...]
Salads Ready-Made for Trader Joe’s Caused 2013 E. coli Outbreak
In October and November 2013, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) collaborated with public health officials in California, Washington and Arizona to trace an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 to two kinds of pre-packaged, ready-to-eat salads made for Trader Joe's grocery stores by Glass Onion Catering. The agencies continued their laboratory surveillance of the outbreak, uncovering 33 confirmed illnesses, including 28 E. coli case patients in the state of California. The molecular pattern of the outbreak strain of E. coli O157:H7 had never been seen before in the United States, the CDC said. It was linked to two types of salads produced by Glass Onion: Field Fresh Chopped Salad with Grilled Chicken and Mexicali Salad with Chili Lime Chicken. On Nov. 10, 2013, the company … [Read more...]
CDPH Issues Final Report on 2013 E. coli Outbreak at Trader Joe’s and Walgreens
The California Department of Public Health has released a report on their investigation into the E. coli O157:H7 outbreak in October 2013 associated with pre-packaged salads sold at Costco and Walgreens stores. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released their final report on this outbreak in December 2013. Thirty-three people were sickened in this outbreak; seven of those people were hospitalized. Two people developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a serious complication of an E. coli infection, from their illness. No deaths were reported. The outbreak count per state was: Arizona (1), California (28), Texas (1), and Washington (3). The STEC O157:H7 PFGE pattern was new to the PulseNet database. Epidemiologic and traceback investigations indicated that Field … [Read more...]
