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E. coli-Tainted Tri-Tip to Blame in Date Published: Tuesday, October
7th, 2008 Source of Article: http://www.newsinferno.com/archives/3960 Health officials who suspected tainted tri-tip
sickened at least 27 people in California this past September report that E. coli
bacteria found on frozen leftover meat perfectly matches the bacteria
found in stool samples taken from several people who became ill, said Dr.
Mark Lundberg, Butte County health officer. Lundberg said it remains
unclear how the meat became contaminated. It seems that the outbreak originated from a
fundraiser held in Forest Ranch on September 6 that was to benefit the
volunteer fire department there. Lundberg initially reported that four
people who attended the event became so seriously ill following the event
that hosted 300-400 people that they required hospitalization. Health
officials have long suspected that tri-tip served at the fundraiser was
contaminated with E. coli bacteria. Health officials learned that the sickness was
caused by the dangerous strain of E. coli bacteria called E. coli
0157:H7. E. coli strain O157:H7 is an extremely virulent, contagious,
and sometimes fatal strain and is typically spread when a person fails to
properly wash his or her hands and then handles food. Once the food is
eaten, the bacteria take hold. E. coli are a group of bacteria found in
animal intestines and feces. Some strains are necessary for digestion;
some are harmful, even deadly, such as strain O157:H7, which is generally
found to be the culprit in E. coli-related food-borne illness outbreaks and
has been confirmed to be to blame in the confirmed cases in this outbreak.
This E. coli strain is in a group called Verocytotoxigenic
E. coli (VTEC) linked to food poisoning. VTECs
are very serious and can cause fatal blood poisoning, cystitis, deadly
septicemia, and death. In the It was as a result of the interviews with people
who attended the event that led officials to conclude that it was the tri-tip
that was contaminated and sickened event attendees. Subsequent tests
confirmed the link, said Lundberg who added that it remains unclear how the
cooked meat became contaminated. Food preparers at the event had the
right equipment and, according to interviews, seemed to do everything right,
he said, but clearly something went wrong. When large amounts of food
are prepared there is the potential for contamination, he said. It’s possible
that the cooked tri-tip came into contact with juices from the raw meat. Or
possibly, he added, that someone who might have
helped prepare the food was sick and did not properly wash his or her hands
before handling the food. |
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