Public health officials in Illinois and Kentucky are investigating separate outbreaks of Salmonella associated with independent Mexican restaurants. Combined, the Hacienda Don Villo outbreak in Channahon, Illinois, and the Casa Mexicana outbreak in Madisonville, Kentucky, have sickened about 50 people. In Kentucky, one of the outbreak patients has died. “Every outbreak of Salmonella carries the prospect of life-long illness for unsuspecting families,’’ said Fred Pritzker, founder of national food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen Attorneys. Pritzker said too many people downplay the burdens of Salmonella infection, which can trigger an assortment of long-term illness in some patients. In others, Salmonellosis resolves itself with no medical attention and the illness is over. Studies … [Read more...]
Kentucky Salmonella Probe at Casa Mexicana Has Breakthrough
Casa Mexicana in Madisonville, Kentucky, has been confirmed as the source of a deadly Salmonella outbreak after food poisoning investigators in Hopkins County found the outbreak strain of Salmonella bacteria in food from the restaurant. Using a technique known as pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), lab researchers derived the genetic fingerprint of the pathogen from patient cultures and matched those prints to organisms in food from the restaurant. Food Poisoning Bulletin learned from Public Health Director Denise Beach in Madisonville that the Casa Mexicana outbreak has sickened 15 people and killed one person in the area. Five of the confirmed victims were hospitalized and there has not been a new report of onset of illness in more than a week, she said. The restaurant is … [Read more...]
El Potrero Salmonella Outbreak Leads to Restaurant Changes
The El Potrero restaurant in Owosso, Michigan, that is at the center of a Salmonella food poisoning outbreak had been handling chicken and beef in the same buckets that it used to make salsa, the head server at the restaurant said. The outbreak in Shiawassee County appears to be over, but 13 people contracted salmonellosis as determined by investigators from the county health department. Valerie Trujilo, the head server at the Mexican restaurant, told WLNS Channel 6 that a correction has been made so that staff no longer uses the same buckets for meat that it does for salsa and chicken and beef. The same story quoted Courtney Herrick, the director of personal health for Shiawassee County, as saying the health department inspected the restaurant six times since the outbreak, calling for … [Read more...]
El Potrero Restaurant in Owosso, Michigan, Tied to Outbreak
Salmonella food poisoning investigators for Shiawassee County are probing an outbreak that they say may be tied to the El Potrero Mexican Restaurant in Owosso, Michigan, west of Flint. There was nothing on the Shiawassee County Health Department website, but local newspaper The Argus-Press reported the investigation and said representatives of El Potrero said they are shocked the probe has focused on the business because of its emphasis on sanitation. Manager Alex Aylala Friday told the newspaper that the health department’s investigation has centered on the restaurant’s salsa and canned tomatoes used in the preparation of the condiment. Previous inspections of the restaurant were not problematic, but county health workers saw a cluster of salmonellosis in people who ate at the … [Read more...]
Food Poisoning at Federico’s is Largest U.S. E. coli Outbreak in Years
The recent burst of food poisoning cases from a single Federico's restaurant west of Phoenix has eclipsed the Farm Rich frozen food outbreak as the biggest toxic E. coli outbreak of 2013 and is among the largest domestic E. coli outbreaks of the past few years, according to E. coli information kept by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Public health officials have had to go back to 2011 to find an E. coli outbreak with nearly as many confirmed case patients as the 68 people counted as victims in the current spread of E. coli illnesses in Arizona. The Federico's outbreak was first announced on August 2 when the Maricopa County Departments of Public Health and Environmental Services collaborated with the Arizona Department of Health Services on a press release alerting … [Read more...]
Federico’s E. coli Lawsuit Challenges Restaurant On Food Safety
What began as a single Federico's E. coli lawsuit has now progressed into a set of legal complaints on behalf of three restaurant customers, with more victims waiting in the wings to join the litigation. Even if your injuries were not life-threatening, you could still make a substantial recovery in consideration for pain, suffering, medical bills and other associated losses linked to contaminated food at the Mexican-style restaurant in the West Valley area of Litchfield Park, Arizona. Maricopa County officials have completed their inspection of the restaurant at 13132 West Camelback and the facility has reopened for business. The latest preliminary count of people sickened in the outbreak is 68, including 23 who were hospitalized for HUS and other complications. The local health … [Read more...]
Federico’s Restaurant E. coli Outbreak in Litchfield Park, Arizona
Federico's Mexican Restaurant in Litchfield Park, Arizona, is at the center of an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 that has sickened at least 11 to 15 people who ate there or purchased food from the establishment. The Maricopa County Departments of Public Health and Environmental Services in collaboration with the Arizona Department of Health Services are investigating and said in a news release that the outbreak appears to be linked to the Federico’s Mexican Restaurant located at 13132 W Camelback in Litchfield Park, about 20 miles west of downtown Phoenix. At least seven people have been hospitalized in the West Valley food poisoning outbreak. Several of the victims know each other. "So far, at least 11 of the 15 individuals with bloody diarrhea that MCDPH has been able to interview have … [Read more...]
Los Burritos E. coli Outbreak Grows to 17 Cases
The number of cases in the Los Burritos E. coli outbreak in Lombard, Illinois has increased to 17 cases; 9 confirmed and 8 probable. Six people have been hospitalized but all have been released, according to the Chicago Tribune. The restaurant is still closed pending an investigation into the outbreak and how it may have occurred. Public health officials do not know what caused the outbreak and no specific food has been singled out as the possible source of the bacteria. The restaurant is cooperating in the investigation. The restaurant has other locations in other suburbs and no illnesses are associated with those venues. No employees have reported being ill. E. coli O157:H7 is a dangerous pathogen that can cause hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a complication of the infection. HUS … [Read more...]
Los Burritos in Lombard, IL Associated with E. coli Outbreak
An outbreak of E. coli O157 has been associated with eating at Los Burritos Mexicanos, located at 1015 E. Saint Charles Road in Lombard, IL, according to the DuPage County Health Department. Los Burritos has been closed pending further results of the investigation. As of the morning of June 17, four people have laboratory-confirmed cases of infection with Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O157:H7 (STEC O157:H7). Two of the four were hospitalized. The specific food responsible for the illnesses has not been determined. Restaurants can be sued for for E. coli food poisoning when the food source of the outbreak is not found, according to attorney Fred Pritzker, a national E. coli lawyer. "In some restaurant outbreak cases, it’s not possible to identify the precise food product responsible … [Read more...]
Oklahoma Salmonella Outbreak Linked To Temazcal Restaurant
Temazcal restaurant in Chickasha, OK has been linked to a Salmonella outbreak that has sickened at least six people, a spokeswoman for the Oklahoma State Department of Health told Food Posioning Bulletin today. The six people with confirmed cases of infection from Salmonella Enteriditis became ill after eating at the restaurant in February. Four of the case patients who range in age from 13 to 81 years old, are female and two are male. In addition to the six confirmed cases, there are also four to six suspected or probable cases. A food source has not been identified. A faulty walk-in cooler was likely the source of the problem, the spokeswoman said. Temazcal closed for about a week while they worked to fix the problem. The investigation into the outbreak is ongoing, but no new … [Read more...]
