Linda Gittleman of the Morning Sun reported this morning that 3 more people have become ill with the same strain of E. coli that (1) infected one of our clients in a ground beef outbreak this summer, and (2) we see relatively infrequently nationally.  The strain of E. coli involved in this summer’s McNees Meats outbreak was E. coli O157:NM, as opposed to the much more common O157:H7.  The NM stands for “non-motile.” 

Time, with assistance from the Michigan Departments of Health and Ag, will hopefully tell whether these three people (2 of the children possibly developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS)) are part of the McNees Meats outbreak.

Here is the McNees Meats outbreak profile, courtesy of www.outbreakdatabase.com, sponsored by Marler Clark:

An outbreak of E. coli O157:NM was attributed to the consumption of ground beef produced by McNees Meats and Wholesale, LLC, of North Branch, Michigan. The implicated beef was sold to restaurants through a retail establishment owned by McNees Meats and Wholesale, LLC. Illnesses were reported from Genesee, Isabella, Lapeer, and Sanilac counties.