An E. coli O157:H7 outbreak in Portland, Oregon is associated with ground beef sold at meat counters in three New Seasons Market stores. Three people in the metro area are sick after eating New Seasons Market ground beef purchased at those outlets. All are recovering from their illness, according to a press release by the Oregon Health Authority. The company is also issuing a recall. The recalled fresh ground beef was sold at the company's North Lombard, North Interstate, and Cedar Hills store locations. The product comes in 5%, 10%, and 20% fat content varieties. The beef is ground at the stores before sale. The ground beef was purchased between October 19, 2019 and October 23, 2019. If you purchased these products, throw them away in a sealed container, even if you planned to cook … [Read more...]
E. coli Outbreak Associated With New Seasons Market Ground Beef in Portland, OR
Shigella Outbreak at Wedding in Oregon Linked to Asparagus
According to data presented at the CDC's Annual Epidemic Intelligence Service Conference, contaminated asparagus was the likely source of a Shigella outbreak at a Yarnhill County wedding in Oregon in 2018. One hundred twelve people were sickened; 10 people were hospitalized. The Oregon Health Authority first received reports of gastroenteritis at a wedding in august 2018. Shigella flexneri type 3a was identified in stool samples taken from patients. That particular pathogen accounts for less than 3% of the Shigella flexneri isolates in the United States. Researchers asked the wedding attendees to fill out surveys to try to find the cause of the outbreak. Presumptive cases were people who had diarrhea lasting 5 days or less. Confirmed cases were patents who had Shigella flexneri … [Read more...]
Shigella Outbreak in Yamhill County, OR at a Wedding
Oregon Health Authority has released information about a Shigella outbreak that happened in August 2018 at a wedding in Yamhill County. One hundred seven people were allegedly sickened; 23 of those people had laboratory confirmed cases of shigellosis. The wedding and reception took place on August 11, 2018. Over the next two days, wedding guests started reporting they were sick with vomiting and/or diarrhea fatigue, abdominal cramps, shaking chills, nausea, muscle aches, and bloody stools. Both Oregon Health Authority and Yamhill County Health and Human Services received reports of illness. The Multnomah County Health Department and the Oregon Department of Agriculture were informed about this outbreak. Fecal samples from patients were cultured. On August 20, 2018, Shigella … [Read more...]
Top 10 Food Poisoning Outbreaks of 2017: Salmonella Associated with Raw Tuna or Salmon
A Salmonella paratyphi outbreak associated with raw tuna or salmon sickened at least 30 people in seven states, and was the 7th largest food poisoning outbreak of 2017. This outbreak investigation developed gradually in the fall of 2017. This outbreak has not been solved. Relish Foods recalled raw frozen tuna loins and tuna steaks in mid-October, but the outbreak strain of Salmonella bacteria was not found on those products. Ill persons live in Washington, Oregon, Texas, Florida, California, Hawaii, and New Jersey. The outbreak investigation began when five Salmonella cases were reported to public health officials in late August, 2017. The DNA from the bacteria in all of these cases matched. Then in early September, Oregon Health Authority found 12 additional cases with … [Read more...]
Salmonella Outbreak in Oregon and Washington State: Not the First Time Cantaloupe Has Been Contaminated
The Salmonella outbreak in Washington state and Oregon that has sickened at least 18 people has been linked to precut cantaloupe, watermelon, or fruit mixes containing both of these fruits. Most people don't think of fruit as being a source of pathogenic bacteria, but this is not the first time melons have been linked to a food poisoning outbreak. In 2011, a Listeria monocytogenes outbreak linked to cantaloupe sickened more than 140 people in 28 states and killed thirty. The contaminated melons were traced to Jensen Farms in Colorado. Almost all of those sickened were hospitalized because their illnesses were so severe. In 2012, a Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak linked to cantaloupes grown in Indiana sickened at least 141 people in 20 states. At least 31 people were hospitalized … [Read more...]
Salmonella Newport Outbreak in WA and OR: Why is Precut Fruit a Food Poisoning Risk?
A Salmonella Newport outbreak in Washington and Oregon has been linked to precut fruit sold at QFC, Fred Meyer, Rosauers, and Central Market stores. How is this possible? How can fruit, which doesn't naturally carry pathogenic bacteria like meats and poultry do, be contaminated? Most people don't know that eating produce is the most common way people get food poisoning. In fact, Salmonella is the most common pathogen found on produce. The fruits and vegetables can be contaminated in the field by animal feces or by contaminated irrigation water. They can be contaminated during harvest, or during processing or transportation before they even get to the stores. And cutting fruits and vegetables at those stores or at distribution centers can multiply the problem. Whenever a piece of … [Read more...]
Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Pre Cut Fruit in Washington and Oregon Sickens Eighteen
A Salmonella outbreak linked to pre-cut fruit including watermelon, cantaloupe, or fruit mixes has sickened at least 18 people in Washington and Oregon, according to the Washington Department of Health. The items were sold at QFC, Fred Meyer, Rosauers, and Central Market in both states. The products were sold on or about October 25, 2017 up to December 1, 2017. The case count in this Salmonella outbreak by county is: King (5), Mason (1), Pierce (1), Snohomish (7), Thurston (1), and Yakima (1) counties and two individuals from Oregon. Lab tests have identified Salmonella Newport as the bacteria responsible for these illnesses. The Washington Department of Health is working with state and federal health officials to try to find out where the fruit originated, where it was cut and … [Read more...]
FDA Updates I.M. Healthy E. coli O157:H7 – HUS Outbreak
The FDA has updated their investigation into the I.M. Healthy E. coli O157:H7 - HUS outbreak that has sickened 23 people in 9 states, most of them children. The states where the patients live and the case count by state is: Arizona, (4), California (5), Maryland (1), Missouri (1), New Jersey (1), and Oregon (6) Virginia (2), Washington (2) and Wisconsin (1). Ten of the ill persons have been hospitalized because they are so sick. And seven of the patients have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a type of kidney failure that can develop after this infection. On March 2, 2017, the states of California, Washington, and Oregon began to collect open and unopened samples of I.M. Healthy SoyNut Butter from grocery stores and from the homes of patients. Six samples collected by … [Read more...]
Seven People Now Have E. coli at Montessori of Alameda in Oregon
According to the Multnomah County Health Department, seven people have now been sickened by E. coli bacteria at Montessori of Alameda preschool in Portland, Oregon. Six of the patients are children and one is an adult. All of the cases have occurred in one classroom. Four of the seven patients have lab confirmed E. coli O157:H7 infections. Two of the cases genetically match the E. coli O157:H7 strain from the national, multi-state I. M. Healthy SoyNut Butter outbreak. Three patients have Shiga toxin-producting E. coli infections, but those infections have not been subtype. The Multnomah County Health Department has been investigating this outbreak since March 7, 2017. The CDC's page on this investigation into this outbreak has not been updated since March 13, 2017. The national … [Read more...]
Montessori of Alameda E. coli Linked to SoyNut Butter Company Product
Julie Sullivan-Springhetti, Communications Director for Multnomah County Health Department , told Food Poisoning Bulletin in an email that an E. coli outbreak at Montessori of Alameda preschool has sickened six people. Five of those patients are children and one is an adult. In a press release issued yesterday, a Multnomah county press release stated that two of those patients are sick with the I.M. Healthy SoyNut Butter E. coli O157:H7 strain. Those patients are not included in the CDC's outbreak investigation page as of March 15, 2017. All six patients in the Montessori of Alameda outbreak have E. coli infections and four have E. coli O157:H7 infections. Officials are waiting on lab tests to confirm the type of E. coli and the H antigen in the remaining two cases. One child was … [Read more...]
