Pictured is Marisco's #3 Mexican Sea Food restaurant located at 205 N. 4th Street in San Jose. Santa Clara County public health officials closed the restaurant on Sunday after dozens of patrons fell ill with a possible food-borne illness they contracted after eating a meal at the restaurant. At least 12 patrons were reported hospitalized in intensive care. (Michael Malone/Bay Area News Group)
Pictured is Marisco’s #3 Mexican Sea Food restaurant located at 205 N. 4th Street in San Jose. Santa Clara County public health officials closed the restaurant on Sunday after dozens of patrons fell ill with a possible food-borne illness they contracted after eating a meal at the restaurant. At least 12 patrons were reported hospitalized in intensive care. (Michael Malone/Bay Area News Group)

The San Jose Mercury News reports that the number of people who have become “acutely ill” after eating at a San Jose restaurant has grown to more than 40 as of Tuesday, and Santa Clara County health officials are searching for others who may be ill with Shigella, a severe stomach ailment that was probably spread by an infected food handler.

More than 40 people who ate at the Mariscos San Juan restaurant at 205 North 4th Street in San Jose on Friday or Saturday have become acutely ill with fever, abdominal pain, and diarrhea, including 12 who are being treated in intensive care units, according to a release issued Tuesday morning by the Santa Clara County Public Health Department.

So far, 15 people have been confirmed through lab tests to have Shigella, food poisoning, which causes severe fever, diarrhea, vomiting and stomach pain and can be spread to others. In rare cases, Shigella can be fatal.

Everyone who became sick told health officials they ate at the Mariscos San Juan restaurant on Friday or Saturday, according to the release. The health department shut down the restaurant Sunday morning.

Shigella is a bacterium that can cause sudden and severe diarrhea (gastroenteritis) in humans.  Shigella infection occurs when the excrement (feces) of an infected individual is ingested by another person. The infectious material is spread to new cases by person-to-person contact or via contaminated food or water.  Approximately 20% of the nearly 450,000 cases of shigellosis that occur annually in the U.S are foodborne-related, leading to Shigella outbreaks. Food can become contaminated by food workers or during processing.

Contamination of drinking water by Shigella is a problem that more often occurs in the developing world, but swimming pools and beaches in the U.S. can become contaminated by infected individuals and have been linked to Shigella outbreaks. No group of individuals is immune to shigellosis, but certain individuals are at increased risk, particularly small children.

The Marler Clark Shigella lawyers have unmatched experience representing victims of Shigella and other foodborne illnesses. Our Shigella lawyers have represented victims of notable Shigella outbreaks such as the 2003 Doubletree Hotel Shigella outbreak, the 2006 Filiberto’s Shigella outbreak, and the 2010 Subway Shigella outbreak. Here are some examples of past Shigella Outbreaks: