The FDA CORE Table updated with more cases in one of the cyclospora outbreaks and the Salmonella outbreak. And a new Listeria monocytogenes outbreak has been added. The E. coli O157:H7 outbreak has ended unsolved. There are seven active outbreak investigations on the table. For the E. coli O157:H7 outbreak investigation that ended, twelve people were sickened. Traceback was initiated, but officials could not identify a food that was the cause of those illnesses. One of the three cyclospora outbreaks on the table has had a case count increase of eight more illnesses, from 47 sick to 55. Traceback has been initiated, and sample collection and analysis has started. The other two cyclospora outbreaks are unchanged. For the outbreak of Salmonella Paratyphi B var. L(+) tartrate+, … [Read more...]
Torero’s Mexican Restaurant E. coli O26 Outbreak in Renton, WA
An E. coli O26 outbreak at Torero's Mexican Restaurant in Renton, Washington has sickened at least three people, according to the King County Health Department. No hospitalizations have been reported. That restaurant is located at 920 North 10th Street in Renton. The dates that cases were reported to public health are September 8 through September 16, 2022. The dates that patients ate at that restaurant are September 3 and September 7, 2022. Patients have been experiencing diarrhea and abdominal pain. All of the cases have confirmatory testing indicated infections with E. coli O26 via culture. The three patients ate at the restaurant in three separate meal parties. All of the patients developed one or more symptoms consistent with a Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) infection. … [Read more...]
MMWR on Multistate Outbreak of E. coli O26 Infections Linked to Raw Flour
Most consumers do not recognize that raw, or uncooked, flour, is considered a health risk as this item is a raw agricultural product that has not undergone a kill step to eliminate pathogens. In the April 23, 2021 issue of the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), a study is presented that looked at the 2019 multistate outbreak of E. coli O26 linked to raw flour. On February 20, 2019, PulseNet identified six Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O26:H11 infections with the same DNA fingerprint. This pattern matched infections from a July 2018 outbreak that was associated with ground beef. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) launched an investigation to identify the outbreak source. Investigators first thought the outbreak was linked to ground beef because … [Read more...]
History of E. coli O26 Outbreaks Including Chipotle, Cargill Ground Beef
There are several serotypes of E. coli bacteria that cause serious human illness. The most common is E. coli O157:H7, but other strains, called non-O157 serogroups, have also caused outbreaks. This is the history of E. coli O26 outbreaks including Chipotle and Cargill ground beef in the United States in the past five years. The most common non-O157 serotypes are E. coli O26, O45, O103, O111, O121, and O145. The government has grouped them into a category they call the "Big Six." The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that about 265,000 people are sickened in this U.S. every year with these infections. E. coli O157:H7 causes about 36% of illnesses, while the Big Six are linked to the rest. In 2011, the USDA declared a zero tolerance policy for these strains, … [Read more...]
FDA Updates ADM Milling Flour E. coli O26 Outbreak Investigation
The FDA has updated its investigation of the ADM Milling flour E. coli O26 outbreak with more information about another product recall. On June 13, 2019, King Arthur Flour, a customer of ADM Milling, recalled five pound bags of unbleached all-purpose flour with these lot codes and best by dates: 12/07/19 LOT: L18A07C; 12/08/19 LOTS: L18A08A, L18A08B; and 12/14/19 LOTS: L18A14A, L18A14B, L18A14C. This recall does not include products sold through the King Arthur website, Baker's Catalogue, or the Baker's Store in Norwich, Vermont. The recall also reminds consumers that all five pound bags, all lot codes, and all best if used by dates of Aldi Baker's Corner all purpose flour that were distributed in Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, … [Read more...]
Recall of Aldi Baker’s Corner Flour For E. coli O26 Expanded
ADM Milling is expanding its recall of Aldi Baker's Corner Flour for possible E. coli. O26 contamination to include all five pound bags. All five pound bags of this flour currently in distribution are now recalled. The earlier recall was for two specific lots of the flour with a single UPC number. This flour is linked to an E. coli O26 outbreak that has sickened at least 17 people in eight states. The recall notice states, "The food source of the E.coli strain for all cases remains under investigation, but out of an abundance of caution, ADM is expanding its previous recall notice." The flour was sold in select stores in these states: Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and West Virginia. ADM Milling … [Read more...]
ALDI Bakers Corner Flour E. coli O26 Outbreak Sickens 17
The ALDI Bakers Corner Flour E. coli O26 outbreak has sickened 17 people in 8 states, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Three of those patients have been hospitalized because they are so sick. The notice did not state whether or not any patients have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a type of kidney failure that is a complication of this type of infection. The Rhode Island Department of Health collected and analyzed an unopened sample of this flour and found that the flour contained E. coli O26. A public warning was issued to the public on May 22, 2019. The investigation is ongoing, but DNA analysis found that the E. coli in the unopened sample of flour was closely related to the isolates from ill persons. Epidemiological and laboratory evidence … [Read more...]
Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro Questions Traceback Timeline of Cargill E. coli Ground Beef Recall
Congresswoman Rosa Delauro (D-CT) is questioning the traceback timeline of the Cargill Meat Solutions E. coli O26 contaminated ground beef that was linked to a deadly food poisoning outbreak. She wrote to USDA Secretary Perdue, "I write today out of concern regarding the USDA’s investigation into the ongoing multistate outbreak of Escherichia coli O26, which has been linked to ground beef. According to the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), the Agency was notified of an investigation of E. coli O26 illnesses on August 16, 2018. However, it was not until August 30, 2018 that the first recall related to this outbreak was initiated by Publix Super Markets Inc." When the Publix recall was announced, the USDA said they had not determined the source of the outbreak. Twenty days … [Read more...]
USDA Releases Distribution List in Cargill E. coli O26 Ground Beef Outbreak
The USDA has released the distribution list of where the ground beef in the deadly Cargill E. coli O26 outbreak was sold. That Cargill E. coli outbreak sickened 18 people in four states and killed one person in Florida. Six people were hospitalized, and one person developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a type of kidney failure. UPDATED 8/27/18: The grocery stores and chain stores that probably sold the ground beef nationwide include Aldi stores in Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin; FoodMaxx in California, Pak N Save in California, Meijer nationwide; Safeway/Albertson's in California, Colorado, and Hawaii; Sam's Club in North Carolina, Ohio, and Virginia; Target stores nationwide; and Vons in California. In addition, in California, … [Read more...]
Deadly E. coli O26 Outbreak Linked to Cargill Meat Solutions Ground Beef; Lawsuits May Be Filed
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released information about the deadly E. coli O26 outbreak linked to recalled ground beef from Cargill Meat Solutions. This outbreak has already been declared over. The link to Cargill beef was just announced yesterday by the FDA. The outbreak was originally announced in a USDA recall by Publix grocery stores in Florida. Eighteen people in four states were sickened in this E. coli O26 outbreak. Six of those patients were hospitalized because they were so ill. One person died. The case count by state is: Colorado (1), Florida (15), Massachusetts (1), and Tennessee (1). Illness onset dates ranged from July 5, 2018 to July 25, 2018. The person who died lived in Florida. The patient age range in this E. coli O26 outbreak is … [Read more...]
