The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported today that they are investigating another E. coli outbreak linked to Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurants. This new outbreak is a different strain of E. coli O26 bacteria from the older outbreak. That ongoing, older outbreak of E. coli O26 linked to those restaurants has sickened at least 53 people in 9 states. One more ill person who is part of the older outbreak has been reported from Pennsylvania since the last update. But that person did not eat at Chipotle the week before November 14, 2015, when the illness started. In the older outbreak, 20 ill persons (38%) have been hospitalized. The case count by state in that outbreak is: California (3), Illinois (1), Maryland (1), Minnesota (2), New York (1), Ohio (3), Oregon (13), … [Read more...]
Which Chipotle Restaurants are Part of the E. coli Outbreak?
The E. coli O26 outbreak linked to Chipotle restaurants in six states hasn't been updated in more than 10 days. This outbreak has been strange. The case count grew to include 50 patients, then that number was reduced to 37. Then the case count grew to 45 patients, and four more states were added to the outbreak base. As of November 20, 2015, there are 45 people sickened in six states. The case count per state is: California (2), Minnesota (2), New York (1), Ohio (1), Oregon (13), and Washington state (26). There are no reports of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), and no deaths. No food or environmental samples have yielded the outbreak strain of the shiga toxin-producing bacteria. But 43, or 96%, of ill patients said they ate at a Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurant the week before they … [Read more...]
FDA Investigates E. coli O26 Outbreak at Chipotle in WA and OR
The FDA is investigating the E. coli O26 outbreak at Chipotle restaurants in Washington state and Oregon. As of November 12, 2015, 50 people have been sickened in those states after eating at the restaurant chain. Fourteen people have been hospitalized. There have been no reports of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) and no deaths in this outbreak to date. One outbreak strain of E. coli O26 has been included in this outbreak investigation. Thirty-three isolates from ill persons in Washington and Oregon have been uploaded to the CDC PulseNet database. All 33 people have been infected with the same DNA fingerprint of E. coli O26, which means they were all sickened at the same place or by the same source. All of the Chipotle restaurants that were voluntarily closed after this outbreak have … [Read more...]
Chipotle E. coli Outbreak Sickens 49 in Oregon and Washington
The E. coli O26 outbreak at Chipotle restaurants in Oregon and Washington state has sickened at least 49 people, according to the latest case counts provided by the health departments. Thirty people are sick in Washington state, and nineteen people are sick in Oregon. The Chipotle restaurants associated with this outbreak in each state have been identified by public health officials. In Washington state, the five restaurants are located at Hazel Dell, 7715 NE 5th Avenue, Suite 109 in Vancouver; 1401 Broadway Avenue in Seattle; 4229 University Way NE in Seattle; 512 Ramsey Way 101 in Kent; and 1753 South Burlington Boulevard in Burlington. In Oregon, the six restaurants are located at 9687 NE Cascades Pkwy, Cascade Station; 9120 SW Hall Blvd, Washington Square; 8 Centerpointe Dr, Lake … [Read more...]
Minnesota Case Matches Chipotle E. coli Outbreak Strain in Washington, Oregon
An E. coli illness in Minnesota was caused by the same strain as the one identified in the E. coli outbreak linked to Chipotle restaurants in Washington and Oregon. At least 42 people in those two states were sickened with E. coli O26 infections after eating a Chipotle meal. Fourteen of the patients were hospitalized. DNA tests have been completed on samples from 23 patients and all of them match. When the samples were loaded into PulseNet, the national subtyping database for public health agencies, another match was discovered: the case in Minnesota. That person did not eat at a Chipotle before becoming ill. At this time, health officials don’t think the case is related to the outbreak in Oregon and Washington, but the investigation in Minnesota is ongoing. Health officials have not … [Read more...]
Chipotle E. coli Outbreak in Washington Grows to 29 Sick
The Washington Department of Health has issued another update in the ongoing E. coli outbreak linked to Chipotle restaurants in that state and in Oregon. In Washington, there are now 29 people sick in this outbreak. In Oregon, the case count remains at 12 for the moment, so there are now 41 people sickened. The Washington State Health Department is working with local, state, and several partners, including the CDC and FDA, on an investigation to discover the source of the pathogenic bacteria. Chipotle restaurants are under a voluntary closure at this time. Public health officials are working to establish criteria for the restaurants to reopen. In Washington, the case count by county is: Clark (12), Cowlitz (3), Island (2), King (6), Skagit (5), and Whatcom (1). Nearly all of the 29 … [Read more...]
Chipotle Addresses E. coli Outbreak, Hires Food Safety Consultants
As an E. coli outbreak linked to its stores in the Pacific Northwest unfolds, Chipotle has released a statement about its response and hired food safety consultants to help it avoid similar problems in the future. The E.coil outbreak, which has sickened 37 people in Washington and Oregon, comes just two months after a Salmonella outbreak linked to its Minnesota stores sickened 64 people. In a press release issued yesterday, Chipotle Mexican Grill listed the actions it has taken since the outbreak was discovered which include: closing all 43 restaurants in Oregon and Washington even though illnesses were only associated with eight of them, conducting environmental and food testing in its restaurants and distribution centers in addition to tests being conducted by health department … [Read more...]
Chipotle E. Coli Outbreak Grows to 37 Sick in WA, OR, Lawsuit Filed
According to the Oregon Health Authority, the E. coli outbreak linked to Chipotle restaurants in that state and in Washington state has grown to include 37 people. There are now 12 people sick with Shiga toxin-producing E. coli in Oregon, an increase of 9 from the 3 cases first reported over the weekend. The case count in Washington has grown to 25. Three of those 12 people in Oregon have been hospitalized. No one has died in this outbreak. Those sickened live in Clackamas, Washington, Columbia, Benton, and Deschutes counties in Oregon, and in Clark, Cowlitz, Island, King, and Skagit counties in Washington state. Health officials in both states are asking that anyone who ate at a Chipotle restaurant in the month of October 2015, and has been experiencing vomiting and bloody diarrhea, to … [Read more...]
Law Firm Files First E. coli Lawsuit Against Chipotle
The first lawsuit has been filed against Chipotle restaurants on behalf of a client who was sickened with an E. coli infection after eating at one of those facilities in Vancouver, Washington. Six of Chipotle's restaurants in the Northwest United States have been linked to an Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) outbreak that has sickened at least 22 people in Washington state and Oregon. Chipotle has voluntarily closed 43 of its restaurants in that region as public health officials investigate this outbreak. Chipotle restaurants have been linked to several foodborne illness outbreaks in the last several years. A Salmonella outbreak in Minnesota in August 2015 linked to Chipotle sickened at least 45 people. A 2009 E. coli O157:H7 outbreak sickened people who ate at Chipotle restaurants … [Read more...]
What Caused the Chipotle E. Coli Outbreak in Washington and Oregon?
An E. coli outbreak has sickened at least 22 people in Washington state and Oregon. Oregon Health Authority says the cases are linked to six Chipotle restaurants in the region. Eight people have been hospitalized; no one has died from their illness. Chipotle has closed their restaurants in the region. Because this outbreak is linked to six different restaurants separated by distance, it makes sense that food from a supplier is the source of the pathogenic bacteria. A Salmonella outbreak at Chipotle restaurants in Minnesota in August 2015 was linked to tomatoes purchased from a common supplier. That outbreak sickened at least 45 people. We don't know what food is the source of the E. coli that caused this outbreak. In the past, E. coli outbreaks have been linked to raw sprouts, … [Read more...]
