Date
Published: Tuesday, September 16th, 2008
Source of Article: http://www.newsinferno.com/archives/3836
The number of people involved in a
restaurant-related outbreak of an uncommon strain of E.
coli has risen to nearly 300. To date, there have been 291 cases of
E. coli reported—227 adults and 36 children—with 67 who were hospitalized and
18 cases not yet identified. Sixteen of those hospitalized received
kidney dialysis treatment and one man, 26-year-old Chad Engle—has died.
Nine of the patients on dialysis were children.
Escheria coli has been blamed for the outbreaks. Some strains of E.
coli, including those linked to food poisoning, such as E coli O157:H7, are
very serious and can sometimes cause death. In food poisoning outbreaks
involving E. coli, the deadly strain O157:H7 is generally always the
culprit. While some strains of E. coli are
necessary for digestion, some are harmful, even fatal, such as the very rare
and toxin-producing strain E. coli O111 that is the culprit in this
outbreak. Both strains are among those E. coli that may cause serious
disease and death and are in a group called Verocytotoxigenic
E. coli (VTEC) and can cause fatal blood poisoning, cystitis, deadly
septicemia, and death. In the
Most of those who fell ill from the rare E. coli
strain ate at the Country Cottage restaurant in Locust Grove between August 15
and 17, according to the Oklahoma State Health Department (OSHD); however, a
specific food source for the outbreak has not yet been identified, despite a
massive interview undertaking that has involved over 1,700 people Right now, health officials are investigating a
church event that was catered by the Country Cottage restaurant on August
16. At least 30 of the 250 people who attended the event at the
Meanwhile, Country Cottage, which is a buffet-style
restaurant in business for over 22 years, has had 88 health department violations
since 2004. The violations range from improper food storage to improper
food temperatures. Cross contamination violations occurred in 2005 and
2006, according to health department reports. This type of contamination
can take place when, for instance, a meat product is placed near a product such
as eggs. Cross contamination was originally suspected in the oubreak; however, an OSDH official said last week that
because investigators had not identified a specific food source, they believe
that a staff member who handled many foods at the restaurant might have been
infected and spread the contamination. The department said it did not
plan to interview any more customers of the restaurant after September 12.
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