According to a notice posted by the King County Public Health Department, there are seven children sick in an E. coli outbreak in King County. All are under the age of 14, and three children are under the age of five. Six of the children have been hospitalized. The source of the pathogen has not yet been determined. This new E. coli outbreak in King County has illness onset dates ranging from April 17, 2021 to April 29, 2021. The cases were reported to government officials between April 22, 2021 and May 1, 2021. The investigation is ongoing. Officials have not identified any restaurants, foods, or other sources in common among all of these cases. In fact, investigators do not know if the patients even share the same source of the pathogen. All seven children developed the … [Read more...]
Forty Leafy Greens STEC Outbreaks Occurring During 2009 to 2018
The October 2020 issue of the CDC's Emerging Infectious Diseases has a study about E. coli O157:H7 outbreaks from 2009 to 2018 and found that there were forty leafy greens STEC outbreaks during that time frame. STEC is Shiga toxin-producing E. coli bacteria, most often E. coli O157:H7. Those outbreaks caused 1,212 illnesses, 77 cases of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), and eight deaths. More of those outbreaks were linked to romaine lettuce than any other type of leafy green. Forty-five percent of those outbreaks occurred in the fall, and 28% occurred in the spring. Leafy greens are the second most common source of foodborne STEC outbreaks, after ground beef. The connection between those two products is that cattle are considered the major reservoir for the pathogen, and STEC … [Read more...]
What Are the Symptoms of Common Foodborne Pathogens?
Since 48,000,000 Americans are sickened with food poisoning every year, which hospitalizes 128,000 and kills about 3,000, consumers should know the symptoms of these illnesses so they can get prompt treatment. There are 31 different pathogens that are known to cause foodborne illness, but the three most common are Salmonella, Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), and Listeria monocytogenes. What are the symptoms of common foodborne pathogens? Salmonella Symptoms Symptoms of a Salmonella food poisoning illness include a mild fever, a headache, abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea that may be bloody. Symptoms usually start 12 to 72 hours after ingestion of the pathogen. Most people do recover on their own without medical treatment, which is why food safety experts use … [Read more...]
E. coli Outbreak at Acapulco Mexican Restaurant in Andover, MN
An E. coli outbreak at the Acapulco Mexican Restaurant in Andover, Minnesota has been confirmed by Doug Schultz, Information and Communications Officer for the Minnesota Department of Health. He said, "We are investigating a cluster of STEC cases that ate at the Andover location." That restaurant is located at 13753 Ibis St NW in Andover. The last time an ill person ate at that restaurant was in mid-August, 2019. The Minnesota Health Department does not consider this outbreak to be an ongoing situation. Dana Eikmeier, the epidemiologist working on this outbreak, told us that three adults were sickened. One was hospitalized, and no one developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). She also said it's likely that the DOH won't find the suspect food, since the case count was so … [Read more...]
Lawyer Asks: Why Are There Ground Beef E. coli Outbreaks?
One April, 2019 morning, amidst the ongoing ground beef E. coli O103 outbreak affecting much of the east-central United States, one of the attorneys on the foodborne illness team at the Pritzker Hageman law firm began her weekly meal preparation ritual. She went to her freezer and grabbed two pounds of frozen ground beef, defrosted it, and put it in a frying pan to brown. She has said her family of four goes through so much ground beef that she regularly fill my freezer with a “quarter of beef” raised by her father and processed by a local butcher shop. Her family "lives on it". In the U.S., a family’s subsistence on ground beef is not uncommon. For 2018, Americans were projected to eat 222.2 pounds of meat and poultry, each. According to the self-proclaimed “best information … [Read more...]
How is Ground Beef Contaminated with E. coli Bacteria?
E. coli outbreaks are typically associated with certain foods. There have been Shiga toxin-producing E. coli outbreaks linked to raw milk, raw sprouts, ground beef, and leafy greens in the past few years. A 2015 study found that most E. coli outbreaks are linked to beef. But how is ground beef contaminated with E. coli bacteria? The type of E. coli bacteria that causes serious human illness is called Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC). That means the bacteria make a toxin that makes you very sick when it gets into your bloodstream. The government classifies these pathogens into two main groups: E. coli O157:H7, and the non-O157 serogroup, which includes E. coli O26, O111, O103, O121, and O145. All together, those six account for 75% of all STEC infections in the U.S. So how … [Read more...]
How Do You Know If You Have an E. coli Infection?
If you contract an E. coli infection, the symptoms are unmistakeable. Because of the toxins the pathogen produces, and how it attacks the body, patients know they are really ill. All pathogens are assigned a "multiplier" by public health officials. The number is chosen based on how many people actually go to a doctor when they contract food poisoning. The multiplier for Salmonella infections is 29, because not many people need to see a physician when they are ill. The multiplier for E. coli infections is 26, which is a surprisingly high number, given the severity of the symptoms. The main symptoms of E. coli infections are: Very severe and painful abdominal cramps Bloody and watery diarrhea Mild fever Those symptoms usually begin three to four days after … [Read more...]
Utah STEC Outbreak Investigated; Petting Zoos and Farms Studied
Public health officials in Utah are investigating an increase in Shiga toxin-producing E. coli infections (STEC) in that state, according to the Utah Department of Health. The source of this Utah STEC outbreak has not been identified, but some patients said they visited farms, corn mazes, and petting zoos before they got sick. This is nothing new. In the past few years, there have been several E. coli outbreaks linked to those types of attractions. Food safety attorney Fred Pritzker warned the public years ago about the potential danger at agricultural tourism venues. Ruminant animals, such as goats and cows, carry E. coli and other pathogenic bacteria in their intestines, and those animals do not get sick. The bacteria are shed in the animal's feces, which can then contaminate … [Read more...]
E. coli Lawyer Discusses Romaine Lettuce Outbreak
E. coli lawyer Fred Pritzker is representing people sickened in the deadly E. coli O157:H7 (STEC) HUS outbreak that is linked to romaine lettuce from the Yuma, Arizona growing region. We asked him about the outbreak. "With almost 200 people sickened across the country, this is the largest E. coli outbreak of 2018," says attorney Pritzker. Eighty-nine people sickened in the outbreak have been hospitalized. "The CDC is reporting 26 cases of hemolytic uremic syndrome, referred to as HUS, associated with this outbreak. HUS damages the kidneys and often causes renal failure," says Pritzker. "The pain and suffering associated with these cases is off the charts." Five people have died, and Pritzker says these families should contact an E. coli lawyer about a wrongful death lawsuit. The … [Read more...]
E. coli HUS Outbreak Linked to General Mills Flour Highlights Risk of Raw Flour
Consumption of raw flour can lead to E. coli HUS infections, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The study, titled "Shiga Toxin-Producing E. coli (STEC) Infections Associated with Flour," looks at the 2016 outbreak linked to recalled General Mills flour. That outbreak was caused by Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O21 and O26 bacteria. The CDC investigation ended on September 29, 2016 and stated that "Although the outbreak investigation is over, illnesses are expected to continue for some time. The recalled flour and flour products have long shelf lives and may still be in people's homes. Consumers who don't know about the recalls could continue to eat the products and get sick." At least 63 people in 24 states were infected with the outbreak … [Read more...]
