AP reports that Missouri and St. Louis County Health Officials are trying to determine the cause of an outbreak of E. coli in St. Louis County that has sickened 14 people this week.  St. Louis County’s health department spokesman John Shelton said Thursday that all of the cases have been reported since Tuesday.  Shelton said the victims range in age from 4 to 94 and live in various areas of the county. No one has died, and Shelton wasn’t sure if anyone had been hospitalized.

“E. coli is a very serious disease that can be life-threatening,” county health director Dr. Dolores Gunn said. “Parents should be particularly vigilant if their children have bloody diarrhea.” She said children with bloody diarrhea should be taken to an emergency room. State health officials said anyone with gastrointestinal symptoms, including severe stomach cramps, diarrhea or nausea, should seek medical attention.

Missouri has had its share of pain in recent foodpoisoning outbreaks, including the Listeria cantaloupe outbreak.  At least 6 Missouri residents have been sickened by bad cantaloupe, including the family of 92-year-old Mr. Schwarz, on whose behalf we filed a lawsuit against Jensen Farms and Frontera Produce, Ltd.  Mr. Schwarz’s Listeria lawsuit is 1 of 7 Marler Clark lawsuits in the outbreak, and his family is one of several Missouri families that the firm represents.