Four Cases of HUS in Georgia Outbreak
A Southwest Georgia Public Health District news release indicated that the Barbecue Pit, a restaurant in Moultrie, Georgia may be linked to an E. coli outbreak that has sickened several people in Colquitt County, Georgia. Eight people have confirmed cases of E. coli O157:H7, and four other patients have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a severe illness that is the leading cause of actue kidney failure in children and often associated with E. coli infections.
Health investigators are looking into new information that the fourth patient who has developed HUS ate food prepared by the Barbecue Pit before falling ill. “If that is the case, then all the presumed cases of E. coli as well as all the confirmed cases will have been linked to the restaurant,” said Southwest Georgia Public Health District Health Director Dr. Jacqueline Grant.
According to the Southwest Georgia Public Health District, beef served at the Barbecue Pit is the most likely source of this outbreak. In addition, the beef was most likely from Nebraska Beef, Ltd., which recalled over 5 million pounds of ground beef due to possible contamination with E. coli O157:H7. The Nebraska Beef recall is also connected to an Ohio and Michigan E. coli outbreak that has sickened at least 42 people.
Health investigators are looking into whether this Georgia E. coli outbreak is part of the Ohio and Michigan E. coli outbreak:
“A specimen sample from one of the patients resulted in a match to the same strain of E. coli bacteria in disease outbreaks in Michigan and Ohio, and those illnesses are linked to ground beef,” Greene said. “The National Centers of Disease Control and Prevention and state epidemiologists agree that ground beef may be a source of the infection in Colquitt County.”
There has been one case of HUS associated with the Michigan and Ohio outbreak.
Our law firm has filed a lawsuit against Kroger Co. and Nebraska Beef, Ltd. on behalf of one of the victims of the Ohio E. coli outbreak. We are a national law firm and represent E. coli victims throughout the United States, including E. coli victims who have developed HUS. To contact our law firm about an E. coli lawsuit, please call 1-888-377-8900 (toll-free) or email Fred Pritzker.
Tags: Georgia E. coli, HUS, lawsuit
