Country Cottage Restaurant in Locust Grove, OK May Be Associated with Outbreak
Over 30 people in Oklahoma may be part of an E. coli outbreak that has been associated with the Country Cottage restaurant in Locust Grove, OK. One person has died and at least 14 others have been hospitalized. Persons who have become ill are from a number of communities including Bixby, Pryor, Sand Springs, Locust Grove, Broken Arrow, Peggs, Tulsa, and McAlester.
Although beef is the most common source of E. coli outbreaks, other foods can be the source of E. coli infections, including but not limited to leafy greens and unpasteurized apple cider and milk.
One of our recent E. coli wrongful death cases involved spinach. Another E. coli wrongful death case our law firm is handling involves a restaurant where a goat was slaughtered in the restaurant kitchen. (The goat-slaughter case was in North Carolina. We do not suggest that this is what happened at the Country Cottage in Oklahoma.)
To determine the source of an E. coli outbreak, health investigators interview those sickened and their families, test stool samples and test environmental samples. Environmental samples are taken from restaurants and other locations that have been associated with the outbreak. The E. coli tests include a test to confirm the presence of E. coli, an additional test to determine if the E. coli is O157:H7, and testing to determine if the genetic fingerprints of the E. coli isolates match. Matching genetic fingerprints mean the E. coli is part of the same outbreak.
When a restaurant has been associated with an outbreak, health investigators test samples of food, water, scum on countertops, dish rags and other things in the suspect environment. From these samples, any E. coli bacteria found is isolated and further tested. If the genetic fingerprint of an E. coli isolate from an environmental sample matches the genetic fingerprint of the isolates from the stools of those sickened, the restaurant is linked by microbiological evidence to the E. coli outbreak.
Even if E. coli is not found in the restaurant, it may still be possible to prove that the restaurant caused the illnesses with epidemiological evidence-the results of interviews with those sickened and their families.
Please contact our law firm if you have any questions:
- Call 1-888-377-8900 (toll-free)
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- Submit our online form for a free E. coli case evaluation
