Tennessee Joins Lettuce E. coli O145 Outbreak
Health officials in Tennessee have confirmed one case of E. coli O145 as part of the Freshway Foods lettuce E. coli outbreak previously limited to Michigan, Ohio and New York.
According to the latest update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the total number of confirmed cases in the romaine lettuce E. coli outbreak has grown from 19 to 23. Another seven illnesses are considered probable.
Health officials say multiple lines of evidence support the finding that contaminated romaine harvested in Yuma, Arizona, and distributed by Ohio-based Freshway Foods caused the outbreak. Young people dominate the group of known victims, including students from Columbus, Ohio; Ann Arbor, Michigan; and Amherst, New York, home of Daemen College.
The best evidence so far is a bag of previously unopened romaine that was distributed by Freshway to an “institution” in one of the outbreak states. The lettuce tested positive for the outbreak strain of E. coli O145, which emits the same potentially deadly Shiga toxin as E. coli O157:H7, the most common STEC.
Recently, the investigation into the Freshway Foods lettuce E. coli outbreak was bolstered by a case-control study done in Michigan that found a significant association between outbreak victims and consumption of romaine lettuce.
Among the confirmed and probable cases with reported dates available, illnesses began between April 10, 2010, and April 26. Infected individuals range in age from 13 years old to 31 years old and the median age is 19 years. Sixty-six percent of patients are male.
Among the 30 patients with available information, 12, (40 percent) were hospitalized. Three patients have developed a type of kidney failure known as hemolytic-uremic syndrome, or HUS. No deaths have been reported.
Food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen has been in close contact with victims of this outbreak and is currently accepting cases. Contact an E. coli lawyer at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or complete our online contact form.
Pritzker Olsen is one of the few firms in the country practicing extensively in the area of foodborne illness litigation. Over the years we have collected millions for victims of food poisoning and we are involved on behalf of victims in practically every major outbreak of food poisoning.
Tags: E coli Lettuce, E. coli HUS, Freshway Foods Lawsuit, Tennessee E coli
