E. coli outbreaks and college life are becoming more and more synonymous. Most parents of incoming freshman worry about alcohol and other extracurricular activities, but several recent E. coli outbreaks might cause a shift in the worry paradigm. Maybe not. Nevertheless, today, lettuce was finally announced as the source of the large E. coli O145
Help wanted: time for government to act on food safety
Circumstances have long been ripe for calling all shiga-toxin producing strains of Escherichia coli (E. coli) “adulterants” in our food supply. The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, which is the entity that has the regulatory capacity to do just this, currently has in its possession two citizen petitions to take this action. In our
60 reported foodpoisoning illnesses in New York, Michigan, Ohio E. coli O145 Outbreak
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As many as 60 people are now thought to be ill from infection by E. coli O145 in New York, Michigan, and Ohio. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), along with local and state health and agriculture departments from the involved states, are investigating the outbreak to determine what specific food item
Food Safety and Oil Spills
With so much on our plates currently wirh regard to food safety (E. coli O145 outbreak in Michigan, Ohio, and New York; ongoing raw milk debate; and pending debate on S 510 "Food Safety Modernization Act"), even seemingly disparate current events, like the oil spill, matter to us in the outbreak
E. coli O145 and foodpoisoning lawsuits
The country became conscious of E. coli in 1993 after an E. coli O157:H7 outbreak struck West Coast Jack in the Box restaurants. 700 people were sickened; many people developed hemolytic uremic syndrome; and at least 4 kids died. In direct response to the outbreak, the USDA deemed E. coli O157:H7 an adulterant per se
CDC to become involved in E. coli outbreak in Ohio, Michigan, and New York
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Misti Crane of the Columbus Dispatch, who keeps us all up-to-speed on the E. coli O145 outbreak in Ohio, Michigan, and New York, reported early this morning that the CDC is headed to Columbus. Their purpose: to help identify the food item that has caused at least 47 people to become infected by E. coli
As outbreaks abound, where is S 510 (a/k/a Food Safety Modernization Act)?
1. Salmonella outbreak linked to Daniele Inc salami products, and, ultimately, to contaminated red and black pepper from Wholesome Spice Company and Overseas Mincing Spice Company. 252 people sickened in 44 states and the District of Columbia.
2. Shigella outbreak linked to Lombard, Illinois Subway restaurant. Hundreds ill.
Columbus Dispatch on Ohio Michigan E. coli outbreak: New York resident sickened in the outbreak too.
Today, Misti Crane of the Columbus Dispatch reported as follows on the growing outbreak of E. coli illnesses in Ohio and Michigan:
Health officials in New York have linked a person’s illness there to the E. coli outbreak in Columbus and Ann Arbor, Mich., and are looking into at least a dozen more possible cases.
Michigan/Ohio E. coli Outbreak Update
To update, two clusters of non-O157:H7 E. coli illnesses in Michigan and Ohio share the same genetic pattern and appear to be linked to a common food item. 10 Washtenaw County (MI) residents have suffered culture confirmed E. coli O145 infections, and the health department is awaiting stool test results on another 14. Meanwhile
The time is ripe to regulate non-O157 strains of STEC E. coli
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Currently, there are at least two outbreaks nationally that involve dangerous strains of E. coli that are not E. coli O157:H7. Michigan and Ohio are investigating at least 13 illnesses that occurred in mid-April, all of which are genetically indistinguishable strains of E. coli O145. (Incidentally, this was one of the strains involved in