Last night reports out of Pennsylvania indicated that 3 year old Avala Pierce is undergoing dialysis at the Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, PA. The source of the E. coli infection that caused Avala’s illness is still under investigation, as she may be part of a cluster of 3 kids who developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, or HUS, recently in the Chambersburg PA area.
At the end of July on the other side of the country, an elderly woman in Washington County, Oregon, died from an HUS illness that she developed after eating E. coli contaminated strawberries. She was one of two people sickened by E. coli O157:H7 in the strawberry outbreak to develop HUS.
What is HUS?
The young, the elderly, and even otherwise strong and healthy adults can suffer devastating HUS illnesses. See the story of Stephanie Smith, a Marler Clark client whose dance career was cut short by E. coli and HUS.
Post-diarrheal hemolytic uremic syndrome (D+HUS) is a severe, life-threatening complication that occurs in about 10 percent of those infected with E. coli O157:H7 or other Shiga toxin- (Stx-) producing E. coli. D+HUS was first described in 1955, but was not known to be secondary to E. coli infections until 1982. It is now recognized as the most common cause of acute kidney failure in infants and young children. Adolescents and adults are also susceptible, as are the elderly, who often succumb to the disease.
The bowel inflammation that occurs prior to the onset of post-diarrheal hemolytic uremic syndrome (D+HUS) is generally referred to as the prodrome. Within a week (range 1-10 days) after ingesting Stx-producing E. coli, the colon becomes severely inflamed causing diarrhea that soon becomes bloody. A stool specimen obtained at this point is usually positive for E. coli O157:H7 or Shiga toxin. However, in many patients the window for capturing E. coli O157:H7 is narrow.
During the prodromal phase of HUS, the initial diagnosis is often acute surgical abdomen, acute appendicitis, or ulcerative colitis. The large bowel inflammation (colitis) can be mistaken for acute appendicitis because the site of intense inflammation is in the right lower part of the abdomen. If this leads to an appendectomy, the appendix is almost always found to be normal, but the surrounding bowel is swollen and hemorrhagic. If a colonoscopy is conducted, severe inflammation, ulceration and pseudomembranes (comprised of sloughed mucosal cells, white blood cells, and fibrin) are found.Continue Reading E. coli O157:H7 and hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS)
According to Oregon public health officials, at least 10 people have become ill with E. coli infections and one has died as a result of eating strawberries contaminated with E. coli O157:H7. Six additional people may be part of the outbreak, which has been linked to strawberries produced by Newberg, Oregon-based Jaquith Strawberry Farms and
Oregon Public Health officials have identified fresh strawberries from a Newberg farm as the source of a cluster of Escherichia coli O157:H7 infections that sickened at least 10 people last month, including one person who died.
It seems as though ground turkey is not the only product that’s been affected by a recall recently. Last week on Friday, August 5, 2011, Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market Inc., an El Segundo, California company, announced that it is 
By Gene Barton – King County Bar Journal