CDC to Update Nestle Cookie Dough E. coli O157:H7 Outbreak
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We have learned that the CDC will update the Nestle Cookie Dough E. coli O157:H7 outbreak shortly. The new numbers will be as follows:
- 74 cases from 32 states - all match by PFGE testing
- Onset ranges from March 16 to June 11
- 72% female, age range 2-65 years (median age 15)
- 34 Hospitalizations
- 10 with Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS)
Looks like the outbreak is basically over, no new cases since June, 11th. It appears that this outbreak was limited due to the fact that the cookie dough was the final product, unlike peanut products that had multiple further uses. Since no other similar foods were affected, it would argue against an ingredient such as flour. If it was flour we might have seen other products involved. Flour is usually a composite of products from many different farms and used widely in all sorts of foods, as is chocolate. A highly processed ingredient like lecithin is very unlikely the source.
More and more this outbreak seems to have had its source at the plant itself. Contamination of the water supply or contamination of the plant by sewage back-up are potential exposures that CDC and FDA have not reported on.