All three people swam at a Bemidji beach called Diamond Point Park between July 8 and July 11, Minnesota Health Department officials told news sources. The E. coli victims became ill on July 12 and 13. The beach was closed on Thursday but has since reopened when water test results were clean enough.

Inadvertently swallowing fecal matter and bacteria in the lake water is likely the reason for the illness, health officials said. MDH spokesman Doug Schultz told news sources that fresh water and recent rainfall probably helped spread the bacteria. The beach at Diamond Point Park had not been tested regularly for the bacteria preceding the outbreak, news sources reported.

The last E. coli outbreak from a Minnesota beach was in 2005, according to local news outlets.

Sources:

http://www.startribune.com/local/99656694.html?elr=KArks:DCiUHc3E7_V_nDaycUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2010/07/30/bemidji-beach-e-coli/

The water that supplies residents of this tiny town 55 miles southwest of Fargo comes from local wells that use groundwater. These wells have tested positive for E. coli contamination twice since 1986, news reports indicate. North Dakota state health officials plan on testing every well in the town on Monday.

E. coli Well Water Lawsuit

E. coli safety attorney Elliot Olsen recently settled a case on behalf of an Iowa toddler who became sick with E. coli poisoning after consuming the water that supplied the rural home her family rented. In May of 2007 she came down withsymptoms of an E. coli infection, including severe diarrhea and abdominal pain. She was hospitalized and her symptoms worsened as the pathogen infected her blood. She developed a condition called hemolytic uremic syndrome (E. coli HUS) that destroys red blood cells and keeps kidneys from serving their function as filters that remove waste from the bloodstream.

She was on dialysis and in the hospital for a month and still has long-term kidney damage even now, three years after her initial illness. She could need a kidney transplant later in life.

How Does E. coli Contaminate Well Water?

Because harmful strains of E. coli can live in animal and human digestive systems, they can therefore be found in animal and human waste. After any kind of precipitation—a rainfall, a snowmelt—E. coli from animal or human fecal matter can wash into groundwater, rivers, lakes and streams. This can consequently contaminate water sources and, if the water isn’t sufficiently treated, can make people seriously sick.

According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):

• Over 15 million U.S. households rely on private, household wells for drinking water.
• If polluted ground water is consumed, it could cause illness. Ground water pollution can be caused by seepage through landfills, failed septic tanks, underground fuel tanks, fertilizers and pesticides, and runoff from urban areas.
• It is important that private ground water wells are checked regularly to ensure that the water is safe for drinking.
• Typically, private water systems that serve no more than 25 people at least 60 days of the year and have no more than 15 service connections are not regulated by the EPA.

Source: http://www.wday.com/event/article/id/36320/

Several victims were hospitalized, including a toddler with hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which is a serious complication that can arise from E. coli poisoning and can do life-long kidney damage to patients, especially the very young and the elderly. These illnesses occurred throughout the state of Minnesota. Initially, the common link between these illnesses, health officials say, was that they had all consumed products from the Hartmann dairy farm. This epidemiological link, however, is now reinforced by the MDH’s confirmation through microbiological testing that the strain of E. coli found on the farm is the same strain found in the patients. Additionally, the MDH reports:

“…the specific strain of E. coli O157:H7 found in the ill patients has also been found in multiple animals and at multiple sites on the Hartmann farm.  This strain of E. coli has not previously been found in Minnesota.  Furthermore, laboratory tests confirmed that cheese samples collected last week from the farm contained another form of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, demonstrating that an ongoing pathway of contamination existed on the farm.”

The food safety lawyers at Pritzker Olsen attorneys currently represent a man sickened from raw milk contaminated with Campylobacter. He developed Guillain-Barre syndrome as is now paralyzed. Our attorneys are all too familiar with the dangers that can arise from consuming raw milk.

What is Raw Milk? Why Can it Make Us Sick?

Most milk in the supermarket is pasteurized in order to kill potentially harmful bacteria, such as E. coli and Campylobacter. However, some people believe raw, or unpasteurized milk is more nutritious than pasteurized milk and choose to drink it. Public health organizations such as the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Medical Association, the World Health Organization and the American Academy of Pediatrics all advocate pasteurization as a standard practice.

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture restricts the sale of raw milk to occasional sales of milk directly from the farmer to consumer. If consumers choose to drink raw milk, the MDA urges that they:

• Do their homework: consumers should educate themselves on how to consume raw milk SAFELY and RESPONSIBLY
• Consumers MUST go directly to the farm to get the milk, according to Minnesota law.
• Consumers MUST bring their own containers. Farmers are NOT allowed to bottle their own raw milk for sale.

Cape Girardeau County Public Health Officials tested water samples from a drinking fountain and faucet in the sports complex and they came back positive for E. coli.

Waterborne E. coli is a lesser-known problem than foodborne E. coli, yet it is no less dangerous. This is illustrated by the E. coli well water contamination case settled by Attorney Elliot Olsen, in which a rural Iowa home’s well water was contaminated with this dangerous pathogen. The family’s 2-year-old daughter contracted a serious E. coli infection from drinking the water in her own home and soon developed hemolytic uremic syndrome. Commonly known as E. coli HUS, this is a condition that can cause serious health problems including kidney failure. The toddler spent a month in the hospital.

How E. coli Contaminates Water Sources

Because harmful strains of E. coli can live in animal and human digestive systems, they can therefore be found in animal and human waste. After any kind of precipitation—a rainfall, a snowmelt—E. coli from animal or human fecal matter can wash into groundwater, rivers, lakes and streams. This can consequently contaminate water sources and, if the water isn’t sufficiently treated, can make people seriously sick.

Regulation of E. coli in water sources

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, water in public water systems is regulated by laws stating that residents MUST be notified if the water is in anyway unsafe. Water systems classified as a “public water system” under the Safe Drinking Water Act are those that:

• Operate at least 60 days per year
• Serve 25 people or more
• Have 15 or more service connections

Under that act, public water systems must regularly monitor for coliform bacteria (E. coli is a member of the coliform group).  If such a test is positive, the sample must then be tested for E. coli or fecal coliform—which indicate that the water supply is contaminated with animal or human waste.

Media outlets in Honolulu are reporting that of seven victims in the Hawaii E. coli outbreak, four ate at Peppa’s Korean BBQ on South King Street in Pawaa. Hawaii Department of Health investigators found problems at the restaurant, which is now  working with the agency on an intensive mitigation plan to correct permit violations.

The Honolulu Advertiser reported that the restaurant’s management will be required to attend the Sanitation Branch’s Food Safety Certification Workshop to receive training on proper food-handling practices.

Hawaii Department of Health said the seven E. coli cases were diagnosed between March 2-23 and it has reminded doctors to report any additional cases to the state. One of four victims who were hospitalized remains in serious condition.

In 5 to 15 percent of E. coli O157:H7 infections, patients develop HUS, or hemolytic uremia – a life-threatening disease that is the leading cause of kidney failure in children. But HUS is more than a kidney disease. Powerful toxins emitted by E. coli O157:H7 microbes wreak havoc in other parts of the body, too, altering brain function and sometimes leading to stroke, convulsion, coma and paralysis. A related condition, often in older adults, is known as thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, or TTP.

Health officials have not pinpointed a cause for the outbreak, but consumption of contaminated meat — often undercooked ground beef — is the leading form of transmission. E. coli O157:H7 outbreaks also have been caused by contaminated raw milk, unpasteurized cider, sprouts, leafy green vegetables, other vegetables and fruits, including pineapple.

The worldwide leading cause of  kidney failure in children is hemolytic uremic syndrome, or HUS. Many of these cases are preventable because they stem from infections of E. coli O157:H7 or other bacteria transmitted by contaminated food. The bacteria grows harmlessly in the guts of cattle and other animals but persistently enter the human food supply via contamination from an animal’s E. coli-laden feces.

About 5 percent of the children who develop hemolytic uremic syndrome are killed by it. Those who survive are often left with permanent disabilities.

The main job of our kidneys is to remove toxins and excess water from our blood. Kidneys also help to control our blood pressure, to produce red blood cells and hormones, and to keep our bones healthy. E. coli HUS can quickly put previously healthy children and adults into end stage renal failure.

That happens because E. coli O157:H7 and some other types of E. coli emit a powerful toxin that attacks red blood cells. The damaged and misshaped cells clog up the kidneys and shut them down.

Because World Kidney Day — which is always held on the second Tuesday of March — is a visible opportunity to inform and educate health policy-makers, an appropriate part of the discussion is how to keep E. coli O157:H7 out of our food supply.

In the U.S., an important step forward in the fight against E. coli and other pathogens would be passage of a major piece of food safety legislation already passed by the House and now waiting action in the Senate.

Elsewhere in the U.S., government researchers and private labs are developing vaccines for cattle to suppress the microbe at its origin. Nothing, so far, has made much difference because outbreaks of E. coliO157:H7 have continued with disturbing frequency and scale.

In children and adults, HUS does more than just shut down renal function. HUS coma is a problem not uncommon in child HUS patients because many patients experience central nervous system disorders.

In addition, HUS seizures can be caused by vascular damage or cerebral hemorrhage.  HUS seizures can also be caused by uremia (urea and other waste products staying in the blood due to kidney failure), hyponatremia (sodium levels are low and water levels are high) or other metabolic derangement.

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. Those most at risk are children, older adults and others who have weakened immune systems.

Of particular concern is improving record keeping at the retail grocery level concerning the origin of ground beef, the commodity most often at the center of E. coli outbreaks. The next meeting starts at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday at the USDA South Building in Washington, D.C.

Knowing quickly and exactly the origin of every pound of beef sold at checkout could help save lives whenE. colioutbreaks happen because detailed records speed vital traceback investigations conducted by public health officials.

It’s hard to believe in 2010 that many retailers don’t keep records or that the records they keep are inadequate for tracing. Tracebacks help us identify the products that are making people sick in order to bring outbreaks under control as quickly as possible.

The current safety gap caused by improper ground beef record keeping at the retail level is acknowledged by top FSIS officials. The agency has been frustrated by the lack of records kept by retailers who grind their own ground beef. It’s essential for them to document where the bulk trimmings and cuts come from in the event a package of ground beef purchased by a consumer is later found to be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7.

If investigators can quickly identify by traceback what products are making people sick, they can also trace contaminated products forward through the distribution system and issue appropriate recalls and warnings.

Orderly documentation of what beef is used in a retail chain’s grindings also will put more pressure on suppliers to eliminate contamination. A major benefit of tracing is to allow the FSIS to assess the establishment that produced the contaminated product to detect if there’s a systemic problem at the plant.

The CDC estimates that as many as 300,000 people in the U.S. are hospitalized each year from foodborne illnesses and millions become ill and don’t even realize that it is connected to tainted food. Estimates of E. coli infection are imprecise, but microbiologists guess that more than 70,000 Americans fall ill every year from Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, 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.

The harmful microbes live in the intestines of cattle and are expelled in feces. The volume of germs surges in warmer weather and the bacteria can contaminate meat during the slaughter process when intestines are nicked or when feces flake off hides. It takes very few bacteria to make a person sick and testing doesn’t catch all lots of beef that are contaminated.

Grocery retailers can help reduce the spread of  E. coli O157:H7 by pinpointing the origin of the ground beef they sell with well-kept records.

A press release from the university in Pullman, Washington, said Tom Besser, professor of veterinary microbiology has three years to delve into the subject.  He says there has been promising work over the past 15 to 20 years by scientists interested in reducing the rate at which cattle get infected with E. coli O157:H7.

Besser says vaccines, beneficial bacteria or “probiotics,” and certain feeds have had some good results, but not all of the research took different E. coli  strains into account. He wants to identify the seasonal variations and processes that kill clinical genotypes of E. coli  O157:H7 — the types most dangerous to humans. Bovine-biased genotypes cause only a small percentage of illnesses.

A vaccine, for example, could cut incidence ofE. coli O157:H7  in half. “That could be really good if the half that it’s cutting it by is mostly clinical genotypes,” said Besser.

In humans, E. coli O157:H7 releases a powerful toxin that attacks the lining of the intestine, causing severe abdominal cramps followed by watery, then bloody diarrhea that subsides within a week or so. Sometimes the diarrhea is accompanied by vomiting and a low-grade fever.

In more than 5 percent of cases, the Shiga toxins enter the bloodstream, causing HUS E. coli, or hemolytic uremic syndrome, which can lead to kidney failure, anemia, internal bleeding, and the destruction of vital organs. About 5 percent of children who develop E. coli  HUS  are killed by it. Those who survive are often left with permanent disabilities, including brain damage or paralysis.

Frequently Asked Questions about Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS)

What is hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS)?

HUS is a disease that destroys red blood cells. Healthy red blood cells (left) are smooth and round. In hemolytic uremic syndrome, toxins destroy red blood cells (right). These misshapen cells may clog the tiny blood vessels in the kidneys. A healthy kidney is a filtration device that removes waste products from the blood. It contains hundreds of thousands of tiny filters (glomeruli), tiny tubes through which blood passes.

When kidneys are healthy, the artery brings blood and wastes from the bloodstream into the kidneys. The glomeruli clean the blood. Then wastes and extra fluid go out into the urine through the ureter. Clean blood leaves the kidneys and goes back into the bloodstream through the vein.
The red blood cells damaged and misshaped by HUS cannot pass through the glomeruli and cause blockage. This blockage results in destruction of the glomeruli. If enough glomeruli are damaged, function of the kidney is compromised. In severe cases, the person suffers end-stage renal disease or even death.

What causes HUS?

HUS develops when Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria lodged in the digestive tract make toxins that enter the bloodstream and start to destroy red blood cells. Most cases of HUS occur after an infection of the digestive tract by the E. coli bacterium, which is found in foods like meat, dairy products, leafy greens and juice when they are contaminated. Some people have contracted HUS after swimming in pools or lakes contaminated with feces. Most people who suffer E. coli O157:H7 poisoning do not suffer HUS.

What are the signs and symptoms of HUS and kidney failure?

With HUS, the child remains pale, tired, and irritable. Other signs include small, unexplained bruises or bleeding from the nose or mouth that may occur because the toxins also destroy the platelets, cells that normally help the blood to clot. Signs and symptoms of HUS may not become apparent until a week after the digestive problems have occurred.

More than half of children with HUS develop acute kidney failure. With kidney failure, the child’s urine output decreases. The urine may also appear red. Urine formation slows because the damaged red blood cells clog the tiny blood vessels in the kidneys, making them work harder to remove wastes and extra fluid from the blood. The body’s inability to rid itself of excess fluid and wastes may in turn cause high blood pressure or swelling of the face, hands, feet, or entire body.

Parents or guardians should call the child’s doctor immediately if the child has unexplained bruises, unusual bleeding, swollen limbs or generalized swelling, extreme fatigue, or decreased urine output. A child who goes 12 hours without urinating should be taken to a doctor or an emergency room.

How is HUS diagnosed?

A doctor may suspect that a child has HUS after examining the child and learning the history of symptoms. The diagnosis is confirmed by microscopic examination of a blood sample to see if the red blood cells are misshapen.

How is HUS treated?

Treatments, which consist of maintaining normal salt and water levels in the body, are aimed at easing the immediate symptoms and preventing further problems. A child may need a transfusion of red blood cells delivered through an intravenous, or IV, tube. In severe cases, several sessions of dialysis, a blood-cleansing treatment, may be required to temporarily take over the kidneys’ job of filtering wastes and extra fluid from the blood.

Some children may sustain significant kidney damage that slowly develops into permanent kidney failure and will then require long-term dialysis or a kidney transplant. Some studies suggest that limiting protein in the child’s diet and treating high blood pressure with a medicine from a class of drugs called angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors helps delay or prevent the onset of permanent kidney failure.

How can HUS be prevented?

Washing and cooking foods adequately, especially meats, and avoiding unclean swimming areas are the best ways to protect a child from this disease.

What are the most serious outcomes resulting from HUS?

Death and end-stage renal disease (ESRD).

End-stage kidney disease is the complete, or almost complete failure of the kidneys to function. The kidneys can no longer remove wastes, concentrate urine, and regulate many other important body functions.

End-stage kidney disease occurs when the kidneys are no longer able to function at a level needed for day-to-day life. It usually occurs when chronic kidney disease has worsened to the point at which kidney function is less than 10% of normal.

Patients who have reached this stage need dialysis or a kidney transplant. Most people who die or develop ESRD do so during the acute phase of HUS. According to a leading medical journal article, the incidence of death or permanent ESRD from HUS is 12%.

If my child survives HUS, does that mean there will be no future problems?

Unfortunately not.

A 2003 study appearing in the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) entitled “Long-term Renal Prognosis of Diarrhea-Associated Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome” analyzed almost 50 other journal articles on the subject and found that 25% of people who developed HUS had long-term kidney problems resulting from the disease.

Some of the same authors published a follow-up article in 2009 analyzing data from a Canadian water-borne E. coli O157:H7 outbreak. The data from that study were more encouraging: although some abnormalities persisted, no child with HUS had serious kidney problems five years after the outbreak. The authors cautioned, however, that this more favorable data may be a function of factors unique to that particular outbreak and not prognostic for outcomes from other outbreaks.

What are those kidney complications?
There are three primary kidney complications: decreased glomerular filtration rate (GFR), hypertension and/or proteinuria.

Regarding decreased GFR, GFR is a test used to check how well the kidneys are working. Specifically, it estimates how much blood passes through the tiny filters in the kidneys, called glomeruli, each minute.
The GFR test measures how well your kidneys are filtering a waste called creatinine, which is produced by the muscles. When the kidneys aren’t working as well as they should, creatinine builds up in the blood.

According to the National Kidney Foundation, normal GFR results range from 90 – 120 mL/min. Older people will have lower normal GFR levels, because GFR decreases with age. Levels below 60 mL/min for 3 or more months are a sign of chronic kidney disease. Those with GFR results below 15 mL/min are a sign of kidney failure.

Regarding hypertension, or high blood pressure, in this context, it is usually defined as requiring antihypertensive medication or blood pressure measurement higher than the 90th percentile. Uncontrolled high blood pressure can lead to a number of problems including artery damage, aneurysm, heart failure, stroke and other serious problems. At a minimum, it requires medical monitoring and medication. Hypertension also increases the risk of further kidney disease.

Regarding Proteinuria, it is the presence of excessive amounts of protein in the urine. It occurs in the context of HUS as a result of decreased kidney function. It is a sign of chronic kidney disease.

If my child suffered a milder form of HUS, does that mean there will be no future problems?

Some HUS cases are milder than others. For example, cases in which urine output is preserved and no dialysis is required are considered less severe than cases in which there is no urine output and/or longer term dialysis.

However, some studies have shown that even some mild cases of HUS develop renal problems at longer-term follow-up. Those problems include chronic renal failure. There does not appear to be any reliable data about the frequency of long-term kidney problems following mild HUS cases.

If my child survives HUS, does that mean there will never be future kidney problems?

The usual measure of full recovery following HUS is a normal GFR.

According to some studies, the presence of a normal GFR following acute HUS does not guarantee long-term kidney health, although the data is far from conclusive. For example, in four studies of patients who apparently completely recovered after acute illness, anywhere from 8% to 61% went on to develop a lower-than-normal GFR, hypertension or proteinuria during long-term follow-up. Other studies, however, seem to indicate that full recovery following acute HUS means there will be no future complications. These studies are limited by follow-up times of five years or less which means that the full extent of future problems requires further study.

Are there problems other than kidney damage that my child may experience?

Sadly, kidney damage is not the only problem that can result from HUS. Other complications include neurological deficits (acute and chronic), diabetes and gastrointestinal problems.

Studies about the long-term problems associated with these complications are inconsistent. For example, in one study of patients with HUS who had major neurological symptoms during their acute illness, on long-term follow-up they continued to show subtle neurological deficits including posturing, clumsiness, poor fine-motor coordination, hyperactivity and distractibility.

A recent study involving adults with complications similar to HUS (thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP)) noted that “After recovery, patients have significantly abnormal health-related quality of life; neurocognitive studies have documented deficits of attention, processing speed and memory, and also fatigue.”

A recent report about the long-term outcomes of selected foodborne pathogens, including E. coli O157:H7, may be found at the Center for Foodborne Illness.

If my child develops HUS, should I make a legal claim?

The decision to undertake legal action should not be taken lightly.

Few people who suffer serious injury are “sue happy.” Any sane person would gladly give up the right to collect money damages in return for his/her health. But when that is not possible, especially in catastrophic loss cases such as HUS, it is important to think about issues like “Who will pay for the medical bills (or even the co-pays if insurance is involved) now and in the future?” “Who will care for my child while I’m away at work or, worse, after I’m gone?” “What if my child has permanent injuries and life-long complications?”

It’s also important to understand that in order to successfully make a claim, one has to identify the source of the E. coli O157:H7 that resulted in HUS, determine how and when the food product became contaminated and prove by the greater weight of the evidence that the resulting harms and losses were the direct result of the illness. This is often a very complicated process. In fact, in the majority of HUS cases, the source of the contamination is never identified (and therefore a claim is not possible).

Whether you ultimately decide to make a claim or not, you should speak with an attorney to better understand your rights and the issues involved and then decide whether it’s right for you and your family to make a claim (or whether it’s even possible to do so).

What kind of lawyer should I consult with?

Very, very few lawyers in the United States have experience with foodborne illness cases in general and E. coli HUS in particular.

These cases are extremely complicated and require extensive knowledge and experience in fields such as epidemiology, microbiology, medicine, food safety, sanitation and, of course, trial law. Only a tiny percentage of lawyers have this training and experience and fewer still have ever successfully handled an HUS case to conclusion.

The attorneys at Pritzker Olsen have handled E. coli O157:H7/HUS cases resulting from virtually every major foodborne illness outbreak in the United States. The firm has collected millions of dollars for HUS survivors and their families and its lawyers have been interviewed by and quoted in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today and a host of national and local television news programs. Firm attorneys meet with HUS survivors and their families at the hospital or in their homes and are available virtually any time. We believe in the importance of frequent, direct and personal contact with our clients.

If I decide to hire your firm, how much will it cost and how will I pay you?

Our firm is paid a percentage of the recovery, usually one-third. If there is no recovery, you owe us nothing. There are no up-front fees or retainers. We are not paid until we obtain a recovery for you.

Costs involved in prosecuting the case are advanced by our firm. If a recovery is obtained, we are reimbursed for our costs. This is in addition to our fee.

If you would like to discuss your case or learn more about our firm, visit us on the web , call for a free consultation at 1-888-377-8900 or email us at fhp@pritzkerlaw.com

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are warning consumers not to eat any varieties of prepackaged Nestle Toll House refrigerated cookie dough due to the risk of contamination with E. coli O157:H7.

Nestle USA’s Baking Division has initiated a recall of all Nestle Toll House refrigerated cookie dough products. The outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 is reported to include at least 66 people from all across America, 7 of which developed a life threatening complication called hemolytic uremic syndrome.

E. coli O157:H7 is bacteria that can cause serious permanent injury and death, especially in young children, the elderly and people with compromised immune systems.  People sickened in this Toll House E. coli outbreak have become seriously ill.(HUS).

If you think you or a family member has contracted E. coli O157:H7 from eating Toll House refrigerated cookie dough, contact PritzkerOlsen Attorneys at 1-888-377-8900 (toll free).