Water at Sports Complex Contaminated with E. coli Causes Illness in Missouri
At least 14 people have fallen ill after drinking water at a sports complex in Cape Girardeau County in Missouri.
All the cases have been linked to E. coli in water at Class Act Sports Complex, 2336 County Road 301, which is just outside the city of Jackson, Missouri.
Officials with the Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center tested water from a drinking fountain and a faucet within the facility and confirmed the presence of E. coli in both samples. The sports complex is served by a private well.
Since April 28, at least 14 people have reported becoming ill after drinking water at the facility. Testing confirmed that five of those people were suffering from exposure to E. coli and nine others are considered probable. Four people have been hospitalized.
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services is working with local health officials to determine the source of the contamination.
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).
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.
Daycare E. coli Outbreak in Portland Area Prompts Shut Down
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, person-to-person outbreaks of E. coli O157:H7 occur most frequently in child daycare centers.
That appears to be the case in the greater Portland-Vancouver area where public health officials have shut down a daycare center in Clark County (Washington) where four children were hospitalized with E. coli O157:H7 infections. The Portland Oregonian reports that one child remains hospitalized, possibly with HUS, or hemolytic uremic syndrome, which can be life-threatening.
The Clark County health department first learned of a child from the daycare center being hospitalized on March 19. The state-licensed daycare center, which was not named by the newspaper, was closed April 2 and won’t reopen until tests prove that staff and children are free of the pathogen.
According to the Oregonian, investigators tested stool samples from 22 children and four adult caregivers at the day care and found six carrying the O157:H7 strain but not showing symptoms. It can take up to 10 days for symptoms to appear after initial exposure.
E. coli prevention efforts in daycare settings should be focused on strict hygiene, especially if diapers are being changed. The transmission is fecal-oral. That is why public health agencies emphasize the importance of educating caretakers to avoid direct contact with fecal matter and to apply stringent handwashing rules.
