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...]
Minnesota E. coli Lawsuit Addresses 2014 Applebee’s Outbreak
The Minnesota Department of Health investigated an E. coli O111 outbreak in 2014 that led to a lawsuit against Apple Minnesota, LLC d/b/a Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill and Bar. State epidemiologists traced the mid-summer outbreak to food served at Applebee's restaurants, then narrowed their focus to whole head green cabbage, an ingredient in Oriental Chicken Salad. From there, the FDA took over the investigation but no results have been published by the agency as to the origin of the tainted cabbage or the source of contamination. The initial Minnesota Health press release on July 14 discussed 13 cases that were under review, but officials later upped the number of Minnesotans sickened in the outbreak to 15. The illnesses were confirmed between June 24 and July 10 and four of the … [Read more...]
Reason Number #356 to Avoid Rare Burgers: E. coli Outbreak
Many people love rare hamburgers, but unfortunately that love can be harmful. Ground beef is made of trimmings and whole beef cuts that are ground together. Bacteria present on the surface of the whole beef cuts is mixed throughout the product during this process. That means that there could, and most likely will be, pathogenic bacteria in every bite of an undercooked burger. The E. coli O157:H7 outbreak linked to recalled Wolverine Packing Company ground beef sickened 12 people in 4 states last year. Fifty-eight percent of those sickened were hospitalized. Investigations by public health officials found that ground beef produced by the Wolverine facility was the likely source of the outbreak strain of bacteria. Hidden in the report, however, is that 73% of the 11 patients … [Read more...]
E. coli Investigation at Heart Centered Montessori, OR School Closed
The investigation into the E. coli O157:H7 outbreak at Heart Centered Montessori School in West Linn, Oregon has been closed with no resolution. Officials say they cannot solve the case. Environmental samples and samples from the students and staff all tested negative. The outbreak, which began in late October, 2014, sickened three children. Two were quickly diagnosed with E. coli O157:H7 infections, and the third was later diagnosed with the same infection. The owner of the school closed that facility and reopened in a new location earlier this month. The E. coli bacteria infects people through the fecal-oral route. It is spread through contact with animals or by eating or drinking contaminated food or water. The symptoms of the infection include severe abdominal pain, mild fever, … [Read more...]
E. coli O157:H7 Outbreak in Oregon Closes Montessori School
The Clackamas County Health Department has released a statement on the E. coli outbreak in Clackamas County, Oregon and a Montessori school has temporarily closed. The school, Heart Centered Montessori, has told parents that all students and staff should be tested for the bacterium to try to discover the source of the illnesses, according to Oregon Live. Three children have been sickened in this outbreak. There is no news on their condition, but at least one of the patients has recovered. The school's owner is voluntarily closing the school while public health officials investigate the outbreak. There is also no word on whether the E. coli bacteria that has caused these illnesses is the same strain. E. coli O157:H7 infections can lead to hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a serious … [Read more...]
Minnesota E. coli Investigators Solve Two Outbreaks In One Month
Minnesota epidemiologists have solved a pair of unrelated E. coli outbreaks in the span of a month, first linking Applebees restaurants in the state to infections of E. coli O111 and then proving that a traveling petting zoo put seven people in the hospital. The agency responsible for the disease sleuthing is the Minnesota Department of Health. "Without a doubt the Minnesota Department of Health stopped these outbreaks before other people could become infected,'' Minneapolis-based E. coli lawyer Fred Pritzker said. "They provide an invaluable public service.'' In the most recent outbreak, Zerebko Zoo Tran traveling petting zoo withheld its animals from the last two county fairs at which it was scheduled to exhibit in August, according to a health department news release. The … [Read more...]
Minnesota E. Coli Fair Outbreak Linked to Traveling Petting Zoo
An E. coli O157:H7 outbreak linked to various county fairs and events around the state of Minnesota has sickened at least 13 people. The illnesses were caused by a traveling petting zoo, according to the Minnesota Department of Health. That traveling group, Zerebko Zoo Tran, goes from fair to fair during the summer. All of the confirmed cases have infections with E. coli O15:H7 bacteria with the same genetic fingerprint. Two of those cases are secondary cases, who were exposed to people sickened in the primary outbreak. Environmental and animal fecal samples collected from Zerebko Zoo Tran yielded the outbreak strain of E. coli O157:H7. The owner has been cooperating with the government's investigation and voluntarily withheld he animals from the last two fairs he was scheduled to … [Read more...]
Minnesota E. coli Investigators Busy on Two Fronts
The Minnesota Department of Health is investigating two unrelated toxic E. coli outbreaks at the same time -- one on the Fond du Lac Reservation involving type O157:H7 and the other involving E. coli O111 at Applebees restaurants. In both outbreaks, officials are trying to pinpoint the source of contamination even while victims in the Applebees outbreak have launched an Applebees E. coli lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis. The Applebees outbreak was announced July 14 in a press release that alerted customers of the chain who ate there since June 20 to report if they suffered bloody diarrhea or severe diarrhea within days of their meal. Fifteen people have been confirmed as case patients, including four who were hospitalized, but Health Department spokesman Doug Schultz has … [Read more...]
E. coli O111: Harmful Bug in Spotlight at Minnesota Applebees
The Applebees E. coli outbreak in Minnesota has prompted a lawsuit and put a well-known but less prevalent type of pathogenic E. coli in the public spotlight this summer. E. coli O111 can be just as virulent as its better-known cousin, E. coli O157:H7, but it makes fewer appearances in outbreaks that are confirmed by public health officials. In fact, the pathogen doesn't show up in any multi-state E. coli outbreaks tracked by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention over the past decade, according to CDC data reviewed by Food Poisoning Bulletin. U.S. health records show the last time that E. coli O111 made a major splash in this country was August 2008 when one person was killed and another 340 people were sickened in a foodborne outbreak linked to Country Cottage restaurant in … [Read more...]
MN E. coli O111 Applebee’s Outbreak May Have Expanded
The E. coli O111 outbreak in Minnesota associated with Applebee's restaurants may have expanded to two other states, according to NBC News. The CDC has not released any information about this expansion, but is apparently investigating two more cases of the rare bacterial strain. Public health officials will not name the states where people are sickened until they have confirmed that the patients are ill with the same outbreak strain of E. coli bacteria. This strain of E. coli O111 has not been seen in the United States until now. Pritzker Hageman has filed a lawsuit against Applebee's on behalf of a young man who ate the Oriental Chicken Salad at a Woodbury restaurant in late June. The original report of the outbreak was released on Monday, July 14, 2014 by the Minnesota Department … [Read more...]
