The California Department of Public Health has confirmed 7 cases of a rare strain of E coli O157:H7 associated with the consumption of Valley Meat Company beef. After notification of this outbreak, Valley Meat recalled one million pounds of ground beef products due to possible contamination with E coli O157:H7.

In a statement Friday morning, a spokesman for Valley Meat said they are working with retailers to get the products off the shelves. The company is also requesting consumers to dispose of the products or return for a refund.

When asked about this Valley Meat E coli outbreak, E coli Lawyer Fred Pritzker said,

“This recall highlights the danger of E. coli O157:H7 in frozen meat. Product produced almost a year ago is still causing illness. Freezing doesn’t kill E. coli O157:H7. People still have this hamburger in their freezers; it’s like a ticking time bomb. It’s especially dangerous if the product was taken out of its original package before it was frozen – it would be harder to identify. Also, because the hamburger is frozen, it’s harder to thaw and therefore the core of the meat might not reach 160 degrees when cooked.”

This should be a wake-up call for retailers and restaurants to hold processing plants accountable for following beef recall, E coli infection, E coli lawyer, outbreak

Below is the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) explanation of the evidence they have found so far that implicates Hartmann Dairy.   MDH found the outbreak strain of E. coli O157:H7 on the Hartmann farm, according to the document below.

What evidence do you have that raw milk from the Hartmann farm caused the illnesses? This investigation began like many other foodborne investigations: Someone becomes ill, sees their physician and the physician sends a stool specimen to a clinical laboratory. If that laboratory finds, or “isolates”, one of a number of illness-causing  bacteria (eg., Salmonella, E. coli O157:H7), they send that bacterial isolate to the MDH Public Health Laboratory (PHL) for further testing. Each bacterial isolate is DNA fingerprinted by a technique called pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). During May 2010, E. coli O157:H7 isolates  from 5 patients sent by separate clinical laboratories to the MDH PHL were found to all have the same DNA fingerprint by PFGE testing. This particular DNA fingerprint type (which also can be called a “strain”) of E. coli O157:H7 had never been seen before in Minnesota. The fact that multiple patients all were infected with this new strain in such a tight timeframe indicates that there was a common source for the illnesses. In other words, the patients must have acquired their infection from the same source. In any foodborne illness investigation, MDH epidemiologists interview patients about an extensive array of possible exposures.  These interviewers use a standard questionnaire and interview technique. This includes asking questions about what the ill people ate, including meat, produce and other food items. It also includes questions about recreational water and drinking water, contact with animals, daycare attendance, and more. In this outbreak, the ill people came from communities across Minnesota, and the only exposure the cases had in common was consumption of raw dairy products from the Hartmann farm.  This connection, and the fact that the same strain of E. coli O157:H7 found in the ill people was found in several animals and  from several environmental samples on the Hartmann farm, clearly indicates that the farm was the source of the E. coli O157:H7 that made the people ill. What is the significance of finding E. coli O157 in the environmental samples from the farm? The strain found on the farm matches the strain found in the cases of illness. Again, this is a strain that has never been seen before in Minnesota. This tells us that the bacteria that sickened the people was on the Hartmann farm and since several of the people that became ill never visited the farm, their only potential source would have been food products from the farm. Did you find the outbreak strain in dairy product from the cases’ homes or from the farm? The outbreak strain of E. coli O157:H7 has not been found in product yet.  However, product samples that were collected from the farm were obtained one week to several weeks after production of products that made people sick. Other strains of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli were found, indicating an ongoing problem with contamination. The fact that the outbreak strain was not found in samples of product taken from the farm or homes does not mean it wasn’t in the product that sickened the individuals.  In many cases, only particular batches of product may have been contaminated.  The product from the contaminated batches may not be available for testing because it has already been consumed.  Even if the contaminated batches are available for testing, the contamination may not be uniformly distributed throughout the product.  It can be difficult to find the “needle in the haystack” when only small amounts of product are able to be used for a laboratory test.  The fact that some pathogen was not found in a sample taken today does not mean it wasn’t there yesterday or a week ago, or won’t be there tomorrow. Also, since raw milk contains many types of bacteria it is a difficult process to isolate individual bacteria growths and find the disease-causing strains. The outbreak strain of E. coli O157:H7 was found in the manure of some individual  calves, sheep, and cattle pens. Of note, the calves were likely drinking the same milk as that consumed by the cases. Standard public health practice does not require finding the illness strain of pathogen in either environmental or product samples in order to determine the source of an outbreak and before intervention to prevent further illness should be initiated. In fact, it is quite rare in foodborne investigations that food product is available for testing as it is often perishable or has been completely consumed by the time the outbreak is recognized.  State health and agriculture officials often act on epidemiologic evidence to remove contaminated products from the marketplace and prevent additional illnesses.  Indeed, to do nothing in the face of such compelling evidence would be irresponsible – regardless of the size or nature of operation implicated. Are there more cases being investigated? Yes, MDH has received additional reports of illness in several consumers of Hartmann dairy products that it is investigating. Why are you so convinced that raw milk is unsafe? Raw milk has been found to contain numerous pathogens that can cause serious illness, including Campylobacter, Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Listeria, Yersinia and Brucella and the bacteria that cause bovine tuberculosis. In fact, pasteurization was developed many years ago as a way to reduce diseases that were commonly caused by raw milk. Getting sick from one of these germs can lead to a wide variety of illness manifestations. Some germs cause diarrhea, vomiting, stomach cramps, fever, headache, and body aches lasting for a couple of days to several weeks. Most healthy people with this type of illness recover, but hospitalization rates are usually 10-30%. Severe complications can include bloodstream infections, a polio-like paralysis, kidney failure, and death.  For example, E. coli O157:H7 infections lead to a severe complication called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) in 10% of children (even previously health children), and HUS is fatal 5% of the time. In addition HUS survivors often suffer from lifelong medical issues, including the need for kidney transplants in some. Illnesses from raw milk are particularly dangerous for people with weakened immune systems, such as the elderly, children, and people with cancer, an organ transplant, or HIV/AIDS. Germs found in raw milk and raw dairy products can be especially dangerous to pregnant women, sometimes leading to abortion, stillbirth, or severe disease in newborns. Between 1973 and 1992, 46 outbreaks associated with raw milk consumption were reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. An additional 45 outbreaks were reported to CDC between 1998 and May 2005, accounting for 1,007 illnesses, 104 hospitalizations, and two deaths. What is pasteurization? Pasteurization is simply the process of heating milk for a set period of time to a specific temperature to kill any bacteria that might be present in the milk.  By heating the milk, bacteria that cause human illness are killed or inactivated.  This process was discovered by Louis Pasteur over 120 years ago. What about the health benefits often mentioned by raw milk proponents? According to the FDA, CDC and other scientific bodies, there is no meaningful difference in the nutritional value of pasteurized and unpasteurized milk. Pasteurization is the only effective method for eliminating the bacteria in raw milk and milk products. Pasteurization uses heat applied for a length of time sufficient to destroy harmful bacteria such as E. coli O157:H7 without significantly changing milk’s nutritional value. Pasteurization can also prevent other contagious diseases such as salmonellosis, campylobacteriosis, listeriosis, yersiniosis, and others that can be spread by bacteria in milk. All milk shipped between states is required by law to be pasteurized. Are you trying to clamp down on all raw milk sales? It seems like you are trying to take away our food source, our ability to choose to drink raw milk.

• Like Mr. Hartmann, we wholeheartedly endorse the value of consumer choice.
• Statutes governing the sale of raw milk were written in 1949. However, in this case, human disease – in the form of E. coli O157:H7 infection – has been clearly linked with consumption of milk from Mr. Hartmann’s farm
• Generally, the risk of getting a disease like E. coli O157:H7 is small, but the consequences can be very great. When one consumes raw milk, the risk of getting a disease like E. coli O157:H7 is much, much greater.
  • At best, an  E. coli infection can cause up to two weeks of bloody diarrhea.
  • At worst, in very young children, it can lead to potentially fatal kidney failure.

• We nonetheless support the rights of consumers who wish to assume that risk – IF they do so knowingly.
• When raw milk is distributed beyond the premises of the farm where it was produced, you drastically increase the likelihood that consumers will purchase the product without knowing that they are in fact getting raw milk – or what the risks involved might be.

That’s why current law forbids the distribution of raw milk beyond the location where it was produced.

An E. coli O111 outbreak was discovered April 22 at Four Mile Prison in Canon City, Colorado, according to statements released by the Colorado Department of Corrections. Three inmates have become sick from this pathogen and eight more could be involved in the outbreak too, said Colorado Department of Corrections spokeswoman Katherine Sanguinetti. The state DOC and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment have been working together to investigate the outbreak. There is no evidence of poor health conditions in the prison’s kitchen facilities, according to preliminary investigations.

E. coli outbreaks are often spread through animal fecal matter, such as that of cattle and other livestock, that contaminates food and water sources surrounding the area where the livestock are kept. The prison does operate a dairy, however, officials say none of the inmates who are sick ever worked at the dairy.

The second outbreak of E. coli O145 continues to grow, and has now sickened people in Ohio, New York and Michigan. The food safety lawyers at Pritzker Olsen continue to monitor health department and news reports.

Officials say the probe is in its early stages. They are searching for a cause of the Michigan E. coli outbreak to help prevent more people from getting sick. Victims are being interviewed about what they ate during the seven days prior to falling ill. The process can lead to a common denominator food source that can then be tested for bacteria.

Residents of the area around Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti were warned of the current foodborne illness outbreak in a news release quoting Dr. Diana Torres-Burgos, MD, MPH, Medical Director of  Washtenaw County Public Health.

“We are still working to determine the full scope of the outbreak and to identify the specific strain of bacteria responsible,” she said.

In the current Michigan outbreak, symptoms include abdominal cramping followed by diarrhea that progressively worsens and is often bloody. Ill persons have not experienced fever. Anyone with similar symptoms should seek medical attention and asked to be tested for E. coli. Individuals are also asked to report suspected E. coli illness to Washtenaw County Public Health.

For answers to legal questions about the Washtenaw outbreak, call an E. coli lawyer at national food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or complete our online contact form.

E. coli poisoning is not to be taken lightly — especially when it comes to young children, the elderly and those with compromised immune systems. In five to 15 percent of cases, patients develop life-threatening hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) or an associated disease known as thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP).

Kidney failure is common in these complications of E. coli, but lasting damage can also be done to the central nervous system, heart and brain.

Tests have not confirmed yet whether the scientist is infected with E. coli, but an email alert was published Friday for the NDSU community for staff and students to wash hands frequently and promptly report any illnesses to supervisors and to follow lab protocols.

The sick employee is a staff member in a laboratory in the Center for Nanoscale Science and Engineering. The situation was reported by the Fargo Forum after the newspaper interview NDSU spokeswoman Najla Amundson. The university didn’t note the type of E. coli the lab worker was working with.

According to national E. coli lawyers at Pritzker Olsen attorneys, outbreaks of E. coli are most often associated with contaminated food, which leads to gastrointestinal illness. But person-to-person transmission of E. coli O157:H7 and other types of  the bacterium may also occur and can play an important role in spread among family members or people who work closely together.

Bacteria in diarrheal stools of infected persons can be transmitted to others if  thorough hand-washing protocols are not followed.  For more information and to protect your legal rights regarding E. coli infection, call Pritzker Olsen at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or submit an online form for a free case consultation from an attorney.

OBSERVATION 1 The workmanship of equipment does not allow proper cleaning. Specifically, inside the “Toll House” brand cookie dough preparation room, dry ingredients are placed inside hoppers. The dry ingredients are gravity fed to blending mixers through gate valves that are installed on the hoppers. As a result of this investigation, the firm disassembled all gate valves from all hoppers on production lines 8, 10, 11, and 12. The gate valves appear to have food contact surfaces that are not easily cleanable as evidenced by rough, pitted and discolored cast metal alloy.

OBSERVATION 2 Lack of appropriate design to enable manufacturing systems to be maintained in an appropriate sanitary condition. Specifically, as “Toll House” brand cookie dough was mixed on 6-18-09, ice build-up surrounded pipes that transport a processing aid to mixers on production lines 8, 10, 11, and 12. On line 8, condensate from the ice dripped onto a metal rake that personnel then used to scrape cookie dough from the mixer into a dough trough for transport to the filling line.
Every E. coli outbreak is a product of unsanitary conditions.  If the equipment used to make the recalled Nestle cookie dough could not “be maintained in an appropriate sanitary condition,” it is not surprising that a dangerous foodborne pathogen, E. coli, contaminated some cookie dough.

If you have been sickened with an E. coli infection in the Nestle outbreak, please contact our law firm about a Nestle lawsuit:
•    1-888-377-8900 (toll free)
•    Free consultation form.

But late today, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment warned consumers not to eat Nestle Toll House Cookie Dough because of possible E. coli contamination. Colorado officials said 66 cases of E. coli O157:H7 in 28 states have been matched through molecular subtyping. The cases have been associated with Toll House Cookie Dough through epidemiological study, not direct evidence.

National food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen Attorney is accepting clients in this outbreak from all states, including Colorado and Minnesota.  The Minnesota Department of  Health is believed to be part of the multi-state investigation and more information will be forthcoming. In Colorado, there have been five confirmed illnesses, including two people hospitalized and one with severe complications.

E. coli 0157:H7 is a potentially deadly bacterium that can lead to severe complications, including Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS), which often involves renal failure. Symptoms of E. coli O157:H7 infection include diarrhea (often bloody), severe stomach cramps and nausea.

Pritzker Olsen is a premier food safety law firm involved in practically every major outbreak of foodborne illness. The firm has collected tens of millions of dollars for victims of food safety. Currently the firm’s clients include the families of  three women who died from Salmonella infection from contaminated peanut butter products.

If you believe you or a loved one has contracted E. coli O157:H7 from eating Nestle Toll House Cookie Dough, E. coli lawyers at the firm are ready to assist you. There is no charge for consulting with our firm. If we agree to represent you, we are paid a percentage of money we collect for you. If there is no recovery, you owe us nothing. Please contact us toll-free at 1-888-377-8900 or complete one of our online forms for a free consultation.

Additional, compelling epidemiological and microbiological evidence points to Aunt Mid’s lettuce as the source of the E. coli outbreak. According to James McCurtis, a spokesperson for the Michigan Department of Community Health, Aunt Mid’s lettuce is the only kind delivered to the Lenawee County Jail (5 inmates sickened) and the two restaurants in Illinois where the outbreak-strain of E. coli O157:H7 bacteria was found.

Our law firm has a national reputation in this area, and we handle E. coli cases throughout the United States. We are currently handling a number of E. coli cases, including cases involving hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). To contact the firm, please call 1-888-377-8900 (toll-free), email our lawyers or submit our online consultation form on this page for a free consultation.

Professor Daniel Fung, a food microbiology professor at Kansas State University, has spent 30 years studying and teaching students about E. coli and other foodborne pathogens. In an interview with Channel 49 (Topeka, Kansas), Professor Fung states, “When this strain [E. coli O157:H7] occurs, it is very serious, because many people can get very sick and children can die.”

The interview of Professor Fung continues:

Professor Fung said no matter if the latest E.Coli outbreak reaches Kansans, consumers should be concerned.

”Every death is too many,” he said.

It isn’t his job to find out what caused this latest recall of Dole’s packaged lettuce. However, he teaches his students where the FDA should start looking.

“Make sure that the manure didn’t go into the field at the same time,” he said. “If you can control the water supply better, then you will have a better chance of controlling the micro-organisms.”

To watch the interview of Professor Fung, please click here.

If Professor Fung is correct—and we think he is—the E. coli-contamination problem is resolvable:

1. Lettuce and other leafy greens should not be grown near cattle ranches (this is being done) or in areas where there is frequent flooding (this is also being done).
2. Irrigation water should be frequently tested for E. coli O157:H7.
3. Farmers not complying with the above should be fined and/or face criminal charges.

Pritzker | Ruohonen is a leading E. coli litigation law firm. To contact an E. coli lawyer at the firm, please call toll-free at 1-888-377-8900 or submit the firm’s online consultation form.

1. A person experiencing the symptoms of E. coli (watery and/or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramps, nausea, fever, vomiting, and/or body aches) goes to the doctor. The doctor makes an initial diagnosis, and stool cultures from the patient are sent to a clinical laboratory.
2. Medical lab tests are done on the stool culture. If the presence of E. coli is determined by the local clinical lab, an isolate of that bacterial culture is sent to the state health department lab for further testing, including PFGE (pulse-field gel electrophoresis). The state health department lab sends the PFGE results electronically to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
3. The DNA “fingerprint” (PFGE result) of the E. coli isolate is compared at CDC with other “fingerprint” samples. If is a match, CDC notifies – via an automated e-mail – the state health departments, along with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
4. When there are several isolates with the same PFGE pattern, state health departments investigate to identify a common exposure, such as a common food that was eaten. Local health department representatives, generally epidemiologists, use standard questionnaires to interview both sick and well persons. First, they want to find out where the sickened people ate, such as at home, a picnic, or a restaurant. Then they look for a common food that was eaten.
5. If health officials find a sample of suspected food, testing is done to determine if the food is contaminated with E. coli and, if so, the PFGE pattern of the E. coli. If the PFGE matches those of the outbreak victims, that food is considered the source of the outbreak.
6. If it is determined that the foodborne illness was due to a food item that was served at a public eating establishment, such as a restaurant, health officials interview the food workers. They use questionnaires to find out what and how foods were prepared. If there was a sick food worker on the job when sickened people ate at the restaurant, etc., health officials will get stool cultures from the food worker. If his or her PFGE matches those of the sickened people, health officials consider the worker to be the source of the contamination.
7. If food found at a restaurant tests positive for E. coli and the PFGE matches the outbreak pattern, that food is considered the source of the outbreak. Even if health officials do not find food that tests positive for E. coli, a restaurant can be found liable for any illness associated with eating its food.

If a common food is identified , federal health officials use trace-back techniques to determine where the food came from. If the food is produce, the goal is to find the field where it came from. If the food is meat, the goal is to find the animal it came from. The trace-back stage of the investigation is the responsibility of the FDA (produce) or USDA (meat).

8. Once the traceback investigation has determined the source of the outbreak, steps are taken to prevent further exposure or spread of the infection. For example, if the source is a specific food being distributed, a recall of that food will be implemented. If the source is an infected food worker, that person will be removed from any food-service duties until they have recovered and tested negative for that bacteria.