Washington, Idaho, Montana, California, Colorado, Arizona, Wisconsin, and Maryland report cases.

As of November 18, 2019, a total of 17 people infected with the outbreak strain of E. coli O157:H7 have been reported from 8 states. A list of the states and the number of cases in each can be found on the Map of Reported Cases page.

Illnesses started on dates ranging from September 24, 2019, to November 8, 2019. Ill people range in age from 3 to 72 years, with a median age of 16. Fifty-six percent of ill people are female. Of 17 ill people with information available, 7 hospitalizations have been reported, including 2 people who developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a type of kidney failure. No deaths have been reported.

The Maryland Department of Health identified E. coli O157 in an unopened package of Ready Pac Foods Bistro® Chicken Caesar Salad collected from a sick person’s home in Maryland. The salad had a “Best By” date of October 31, 2019. WGS is currently underway in Maryland for this sample to determine if it is closely related genetically to the E. coli found in people in this outbreak.

State and local public health officials are interviewing ill people to determine what they ate and other exposures in the week before their illness started. Ill people in Maryland reported eating Ready Pac Foods Bistro® Chicken Caesar Salad. In initial interviews, ill people in other states have not reported eating this particular salad.

FDA is tracing back the supply of the romaine lettuce in the salad and has identified possible farms in Salinas, California. Preliminary information indicates that romaine lettuce used in the product that tested positive was harvested in mid-October and is no longer within current expiration dates.

The investigation is ongoing to determine the source of contamination and if additional products are linked to illness. CDC will provide more information as it becomes available.

Additional Resources

Marler Clark, The Food Safety Law Firm, is the nation’s leading law firm representing victims of E. coli outbreaks and hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). The E. coli lawyers of Marler Clark have represented thousands of victims of E. coli and other foodborne illness infections and have recovered over $650 million for clients. Marler Clark is the only law firm in the nation with a practice focused exclusively on foodborne illness litigation.  Our E. coli lawyers have litigated E. coli and HUS cases stemming from outbreaks traced to ground beef, raw milk, lettuce, spinach, sprouts, and other food products.  The law firm has brought E. coli lawsuits against such companies as Jack in the Box, Dole, ConAgra, Cargill, and Jimmy John’s.  We have proudly represented such victims as Brianne Kiner, Stephanie Smith and Linda Rivera.

If you or a family member became ill with an E. coli infection or HUS after consuming food and you’re interested in pursuing a legal claim, contact the Marler Clark E. coli attorneys for a free case evaluation.