The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) updated their investigation information today into the developing E. coli O145 outbreak in Michigan, New York, Ohio, and Tennessee linked to shredded romaine lettuce sold by Freshway Foods.
To date, there are 23 confirmed and 7 probable cases related to this outbreak from MI, NY, OH, and TN. Among
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E. coli outbreaks linked to lettuce and other leafy green vegetables have happened again and again, particularly over the past decade and a half. Not all have garnered the media attention that the 2006 spinach outbreak did, and some have even gone unreported publicly. Here is a list of lettuce and other leafy green outbreaks
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Largely due to a string of E. coli O157:H7 outbreaks linked to lettuce and other leafy greens, the FDA will soon announce new rules (as opposed to voluntary recommendations) for the production and packing of fresh produce. See FDA Produce Rule Announcement. The new rules will set enforceable standards for fresh produce safety at the
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After a frightful two-year stretch in 2005 and 2006 that included two Dole spinach/lettuce outbreaks due to E. coli O157:H7 contamination, the resurgence of ground beef as a leading vector in E. coli cases must have caused lettuce to feel a little left out. The last month, with the announcement of a major national outbreak linked to
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Lynne Terry of The Oregonian reported this afternoon that Oregon health authorities have announced a suspected link between 124 Salmonella Typhimurium illnesses nationally and lettuce. The illnesses began appearing in mid-July and trailed off about a month later. Seven Oregon residents fell ill between Aug. 4 to 16, including three in the Portland metro area.
One of the Oregon residents who became ill suffered a particularly severe illness and was hospitalized for several weeks. Doctors removed a portion of her gastrointestinal tract, which had become necrotic and non-functional as a result of her severe infection with Salmonella Typhimurium. We represent this unfortunate woman, and are working hard to discover for her what the ultimate source of her illness was.
This would certainly not be the first time that contaminated lettuce or other leafy greens caused an outbreak of severe illnesses. In addition to the infamous Dole spinach E. coli outbreak in 2006, here are a few others:Continue Reading National Salmonella Typhimurium Outbreak Linked to Lettuce?