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Food Poison Journal

Food Poisoning Outbreaks and Litigation: Surveillance and Analysis

7 ill in Georgia 10 ill in Texas with E. coli

Posted By Andy Weisbecker on May 18, 2013

Outbreaks appear not to be related.

At least seven people in Stephens County, Ga., have fallen ill with E. coli in the last several weeks, leading health officials in the area to begin investigating the source of the outbreak, local radio station WNEG reports.

Two of the patients were hospitalized and are now recovering. Most of the seven sickened have been confirmed to have E. coli O157:H7.

Environmental health officials are still investigating the possible source of the outbreak, Georgia District 2 Public Health spokesman Dave Palmer told Food Safety News.

Health investigators in Texas’ Brazos County are looking into ten possible infections of E. coli O157:H7 they suspect may be linked to food.

The Brazos County Health Department has confirmed five of the illnesses, and investigators believe another five patients are infected with the same strain of bacteria.

Two related children under the age of five have been hospitalized at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston for the past week, The Eagle reports. The other eight cases are adults and were not hospitalized.

5 Hospitalized, 51 Sickened in Holiday Inn Salmonella Outbreak

Posted By Bruce Clark on May 17, 2013

WRAL reports that the number of salmonella cases in Fayetteville continues to rise, with a total of 51 people showing symptoms of the bacterial infection, Cumberland County health officials said Friday.

The number marks an increase from 44 cases reported Thursday and 16 first reported Tuesday. Five people have been hospitalized.

All of the patients reported eating at the Holiday Inn Bordeaux in Fayetteville, and health officials are asking anyone who ate or drank at the hotel since May 1 to be aware of symptoms, including diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps.

The hotel has two restaurants: All American Sports Bar and Grill and The Café Bordeaux. There is also a banquet kitchen.

Minnesota “Team D” Weighs in on Krinos brand tahini Salmonella

Posted By Drew Falkenstein on May 17, 2013

That is “Team Diarrhea.”

State officials investigate Salmonella illnesses linked to Krinos brand tahini

Two Minnesota children sickened with strains of bacteria matching those found in national recall

Two Minnesota residents – both children under one year old – have become ill with salmonellosis linked to eating Krinos brand tahini sesame paste that has been recalled by the manufacturer. State health and agriculture officials today said consumers should not eat Krinos brand tahini from the affected lots and sizes noted below. The product should be discarded, and the lid of the product can be returned to Krinos for a refund.

According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the product was recalled April 28 after the Michigan Department of Agriculture found Salmonella Montevideo in routine sampling. The FDA also found Salmonella Mbandaka in further sampling of the same brand of tahini and the strain matches the DNA fingerprint of a strain associated with a small multi-state cluster of salmonellosis cases.

The Minnesota Department of Health has confirmed that the infection in one of the Minnesota cases matches the Mbandaka outbreak strain and one matches the Montevideo strain. Neither child was hospitalized and both are recovering.

Samples of the tahini from the homes of the Minnesota cases have been collected and are being analyzed by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture Laboratory.

The Krinos brand tahini sesame paste was distributed nationwide through retail stores. It is sold in 1 lb. glass jars, 2 lb. glass jars and in 40 lb. plastic pails. The UPC codes for the products are 0-75013-28500-3 (1 lb. jar), 0-75013-28510-2 (2 lb. jar) and 0-75013-04018-3 (40 lb. pail). The recalled lots have a code stamped on the lid of EXP JAN 01 – 2014 up to and including EXP JUN 08 – 2014 and EXP OCT 16 – 2014 up to and including EXP MAR 15 – 2015.

Bill Marler: Holiday Inn Should Pay Victims’ Medical Bills and Lost Wages

Posted By Suzanne Schreck on May 17, 2013

Attorney William Marler today called on the Holiday Inn Bordeaux to provide compensation for all 44 people who became ill with Salmonella infections after eating food prepared at the hotel during an ongoing Salmonella outbreak.  According to the Cumberland County Health Department, at least 5 people have been hospitalized as a result of their Salmonella infections.  Marler argued that the Holiday Inn should compensate victims of the Salmonella outbreak for out-of-pocket medical costs and lost wages for missed time off work to care for themselves or family members suffering from Salmonella infections.

“Even for people with health insurance, medical bills can be a financial strain,” said Marler, the country’s preeminent attorney representing Salmonella and other foodborne illness outbreak victims.  “Parents miss time off of work to care for their children; husbands and wives take time off to care for one another.  The Holiday Inn’s failure to produce a safe product impacted not only their physical health but also their financial health.  The company should make an effort to restore its customers’ financial health as soon as possible.”

Marler noted that several strains of Salmonella are resistant to antibiotic treatment and that victims could undergo several rounds of antibiotics before being free of the infection, which causes fever, painful abdominal cramps and diarrhea that can be bloody.

Marler’s firm has worked with local North Carolina lawyers to represent North Carolina residents in outbreaks traced to ground beef, fairs and petting zoos, cookie dough, butter, ground turkey, peanut butter, pot pies, barbeque, tempeh, turkey, eggs and food served at restaurants.  These include lawsuits filed in North Carolina on behalf of victims of the following E. coli, Salmonella or hepatitis A outbreaks:

2004 North Carolina State Fair Petting Zoo E. coli Outbreak

2011 Olive Garden Hepatitis A Exposure

2012 Cleveland County Fair E. coli Outbreak

2012 Lancaster’s BBQ Salmonella Outbreak

2012 Smiling Hara Tempeh Salmonella Outbreak

2012 Toast of Dilworth Salmonella Outbreak

2012 Sunland Peanut Butter Salmonella Outbreak

BACKGROUND:  William Marler is managing partner of Marler Clark, The Food Safety Law Firm, the nation’s leading law firm representing victims of Salmonella and other foodborne illness outbreaks. The Salmonella lawyers at Marler Clark have represented thousands of victims of foodborne illness outbreaks and have recovered over $600 million for clients. Our Salmonella lawyers have litigated cases stemming from outbreaks traced to foods such as peanut butter, sprouts, tomatoes and restaurant food.