Freshway Foods Lettuce E coli O145 Outbreak
Lettuce distributed by Freshway Foods of Sidney, Ohio has been associated with an E coli O145 outbreak at several university campuses, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is soon expected to announce.
The E. coli 0145 outbreak has so far sickened approximately 50 people near Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Daemen College in Amherst, New York.
Pritzker Olsen food safety attorneys have represented victims of E coli 0157 and other strains of this dangerous pathogen. Although E coli O157 is the strain most commonly associated with illness, other strains, such as the E coli 0145 associated with this outbreak, can be just as dangerous. An E coli infection can lead to serious health problems, including:
- Severe gastrointestinal problems such as bloody diarrhea and abdominal pain
- Hemolytic uremic syndrome ( E. coli HUS )
- Thrombotic Thromboctopenic Purpura (TTP)
An E. coli infection can even be fatal in some cases. Pritzker Olsen food safety lawyers continuously monitor E. coli outbreaks nationwide to provide up-to-date information on E. coli prevention.
E coli O145 Outbreak in MI, OH and NY Investigated by CDC and FDA
Both the CDC and the FDA have become involved in a multistate E coli O145 outbreak that has sickened people in Michigan, Ohio and New York. The CDC became involved early in the outbreak investigation when local health officials requested help identifying the strain of E coli involved in the outbreak.
Most E coli outbreaks are caused by E coli O157, but health officials in Washtenaw County, Michigan, where the outbreak began, ruled out O157 and made a preliminary finding that O145 was the E coli serotype involved in the outbreak. Because neither the county nor the state had a lab capable of definitively determining that it was O145, samples were sent to the CDC for testing.
The FDA was asked to help with the outbreak investigation when a product regulated by the FDA was suspected as the source of the outbreak. Early in the investigation, ground beef, which is regulated by USDA-FSIS, was ruled out as the source of the outbreak, or as one health official put it, “ground beef was not high on the list of suspects.”
State and county health officials, the CDC and the FDA are still investigating the E coli O145 outbreak and have not yet reported their findings.
Three university campuses are involved in this outbreak, suggesting that the campuses food service companies may be involved in this outbreak. To date, there have been 18 lab-confirmed illnesses and 32 potential E. coli O145 infections around Ohio State University (Columbus, Ohio), the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, Michigan) and Daemen College (Amherst, New York).
E coli can cause death and serious illness, including hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) and hemorrhagic colitis with severe dehydration.
Colorado Prison Food Poisoning Associated with E. Coli O111
An E. coli outbreak among inmates at a Canon City, Colorado prison has sickened three and eight more may also have become infected, according to local news reports. The suspected pathogen is E. coli O111, which is a lesser-known strain of E. coli but can be just as deadly as its better-known counterpart, E. coli O157:H7.
The outbreak at Four Mile Prison minimum-security facility was discovered Thursday. The three inmates who’ve become ill are being treated in the prison infirmary and if their condition worsens, they’ll be transported to the infirmary at Canon City’s Colorado Territorial Correctional Facility.
Colorado Department of Corrections spokeswoman Katherine Sanguinetti announced the source of the outbreak is still under investigation, but inspections of the prison kitchens show no immediate health or sanitation problems.
E. coli bacteria are often found in the fecal manner of animals such as cattle, and this can easily contaminate facilities where livestock is kept. The prison does operate a small dairy, however, the Colorado DOC has said none of the inmates who’ve gotten sick worked at the dairy. The Colorado DOC and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment are continuing their investigations of the prison facilities to determine the outbreak source and prevent it from spreading.
E. coli O111 Information
The “E. coli” most are familiar with is a strain called E. coli O157:H7. This is the only strain of E. coli that is regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, even though it is not the only harmful strain of the pathogen. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has identified six other strains of E. coli that are associated with serious illness and even death. They are:
- E. coli O26
- E. coli O111
- E. coli O103
- E. coli O121
- E. coli O45
- E. coli O145
These strains of E. coli produce a harmful toxin called shiga toxin, which is what causes the serious symptoms associated with this pathogen. These can include kidney failure, strokes and damage to the heart and neuro systems. Serious illnesses can also arise from a shiga-toxin producing E. coli strain, including hemolytic uremic syndrome, or E. coli HUS , and Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (TTP).
Ohio State University Students Sickened by E. coli
Pritzker Olsen attorneys have a national reputation in the area of E. coli litigation and have been interviewed and quoted by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Lawyers USA and others. To contact Fred Pritzker, lead E. coli lawyer for the firm, please call 1-888-377-8900 (toll free) or submit our online form for a free consultation.
An E. coli outbreak in Columbus, Ohio has sickened at least four students at Ohio State University and may be linked to a Michigan E. coli outbreak. According to news reports, the outbreak is linked to restaurants, cafeterias and other eating establishments.
What makes this case unusual is that the E. coli bacteria involved is not the usual E. coli O157:H7, but a non-O157 strain, E. coli O145.
According to Columbus Public Health, 13 probable cases of E.coli non–0157 have been reported and as many as five of those cases have been confirmed. Two of the confirmed cases are infected with an E. coli O145 that genetically matches the E. coli O145 that has sickened people in Michigan, including students at the University of Michigan.
According to NBC 4:
One of the victims in Columbus is Daniel Parsons, a freshman Civil Engineering student at OSU who lives in Steeb Hall. He became ill last Tuesday, went to the hospital and was admitted. He was released the next day but became sicker and was readmitted from Thursday through Sunday.
“Initially, I just had stomach pains, like hunger pains and I ate and nothing happened and I just went through the night and it kept getting worse. It felt like an upset stomach and the next morning I had bloody stools and that’s when I knew something was wrong,“ Parsons said. “They said if I didn’t show signs of improvement to come back immediately, so I was discharged Wednesday night. Late Wednesday night and Thursday, I stayed home. Thursday night I was throwing up a lot so I went back to the ER and that’s when I was admitted back to the ER.“
The source of Parson’s e.Coli has not been found.
“I’ve just been eating around campus, in the dining halls, dining facilities. It could have been anywhere. I could have gotten it through roommates, through other people in my hall. It could have been anything really,“ Parsons said.
Four Mile Prison E. coli Outbreak
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment is investigating the Four Mile Prison E. coli outbreak, a situation where at least 13 of 500 incarcerated offenders are believed to be infected with E. coli O157:H7.
The Colorado Department of Corrections issued a statement saying the prison’s kitchens have been checked off as sanitary. So far, no one has been able to identify what food source is causing the outbreak, but the investigation is continuing.
Extra precautions are being exercised to prevent the spread of bacteria, the DOC said.
Three offenders have tested positive for E. coli and eight more in the prison population are suspected of having infections. Four Mile Correctional Facility is located in Canon City, Colorado.
Estimates are imprecise, but microbiologists guess that more than 70,000 Americans fall ill every year from E. coli bacterial infections, the largest source of which is contaminated ground beef. Of those infected, 5 to 15 percent develop life-threatening HUS E. coli orthrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP).
Both of those illnesses commonly shut down a person’s kidneys, but also attack other parts of the body, including the brain and central nervous system.
Officials track Ann Arbor E. coli outbreak
Michigan health officials are tracking an E. coli outbreak involving more than 10 individuals in the county that contains Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti.
“We are in the early stages of our investigation,” said Dr. Diana Torres-Burgos, MD, MPH, Medical Director for Washtenaw County Public Health, “and we are doing everything we can to identify probable cases and to prevent any additional illness.”
The health department’s press release doesn’t contain any hints on what food source may be causing the outbreak, but an epidemiological probe is under way. Victims are being questioned about what they ate seven days prior to falling ill.
Patients in this outbreak have complained of abdominal cramping followed by worsening diarrhea, often including bloody stools. Anyone suffering these symptoms is urged to see a physician and request testing for E. coli. Any positive result should be reported immediately to the county health department.
Estimates are imprecise, but microbiologists guess that more than 70,000 Americans fall ill every year from E. coli bacterial infections, the largest source of which is contaminated ground beef. Of those infected, more than 5 percent develop life-threatening HUS E. coli, or hemolytic uremic syndrome, the leading cause of kidney failure in children and the leading cause of E. coli deaths.
HUS and an associated condition known as thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) also present risks of serious long-term health issues related to damage that E. coli and its toxins can cause to the central nervous system, brain and heart.
National food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen is monitoring this outbreak and will provide additional information as it becomes available.
