Arapahoe County Jail E. coli Outbreak in Colorado
Six people housed at the Arapahoe County jail have come down with E. coli poisoning prompting an investigation by the state and Tri-County Health Departments. Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson told News 9 that the jail had six confirmed cases on Friday and 14 inmates have come down with symptoms of E. coli. One inmate had to be treated at the hospital for dehydration, which if severe enough can cause high blood pressure and other complications. All of the people sickened lived in Pod 3.
The source of the outbreak is not yet known, and in cases like this involving inmates, it is best for families to hire an E. coli lawyer to help with the investigation and to protect the E. coli victims’ rights. Contact our E. coli lawyers for a free consultation.
Source: http://www.9news.com/news/local/article/228582/346/E-coli-outbreak-in-county-jail
Walnut E. coli Recall Follows Hazelnut Outbreak
A walnut E. coli recall across Canada comes just months after U.S. public health officials investigated a multi-state outbreak of E. coli 0157:H7 linked to in-shell hazelnuts from Oregon.
Canadian officials dealing with the recall of President’s Choice and Reddi Snack walnuts haven’t associated the contaminated nuts with any illnesses, but the case stands as a public health reminder that nuts can carry harmful pathogens. The recalled walnuts in Canada, which were grown in the USA, may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency said.
In the U.S. this spring, CDC collaborated with public health officials in California, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and the FDA to investigate a multistate outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 infections from hazelnuts. Investigators used DNA analysis of E. coli O157:H7 bacteria obtained through diagnostic testing to identify cases of illness that may have been part of the outbreak.
Among the eight persons infected with the outbreak strain of E. coli, four were hospitalized with hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a type of kidney failure. No deaths were reported. In the hazelnut outbreak, where most of the in-shell nuts were purchased from bulk bins at retail food stores. Source tracing identified a common distributor: DeFranco & Sons in Los Angeles, California.
Food contaminated with E. coli O157:H7 may not look or smell spoiled. Consumption of food contaminated with these bacteria my cause serious and potentially life-threatening illnesses. Symptoms include severe abdominal pain, nausea and bloody diarrhea. Some people may have seizures or strokes and some may need blood transfusions and kidney dialysis. Others may live with permanent kidney damage. In severe cases of illness, people may die.
CO Costco Cheese E. coli Recall Expanded
There have been two E. coli cheese recalls at Colorado Costco stores this month — gouda and gorgonzola — and the latter recall has been expanded. But it is the Gouda recall that health officials believe caused a five-state E. coli outbreak.
Costco in Colorado first recalled Bravo Farms Dutch Style Gouda cheese after a public health investigation preliminarily linked it to an outbreak of E. coli 0157:H7 in Colorado, Arizona, California, Nevada and New Mexico. The outbreak has led to cheese E. coli lawsuits.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed 33 illnesses in the Costco Gouda E. coli outbreak, including 10 in Colorado and 15 in Arizona. All together, 15 people have been hospitalized and one person’s infection advanced into hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a disease that can cause kidney and other organ damage. HUS is the leading cause of E. coli deaths.
The second recall stemmed from the Gouda E. coli outbreak investigation when a sample of Mauri brand gorgonzola tested positive for a different strain of E. coli 0157:H7 that so far has not been associated with any illnesses. The Mauri gorgonzola was only sold at Costco Colorado stores and the initial recall focused on two production dates. But a new Associated Press story quotes the brand’s distributor — DPI Specialty Foods of Tualatin, Ore. — as saying the recalled cheese now covers clear plastic packages of 1-pound wedges with sell-by dates of Jan. 2 through Jan 27. The packages carry a white sticker that reads: “Distributed by DPI Specialty Foods Tualatin, Ore., ITALY 34449.”
If you or a loved one has suffered gastrointestinal illness after eating gouda or gorgonzola cheese purchased or sampled at Costco in Colorado, Arizona, southern California, New Mexico or Nevada, contact a physician immediately to be examined for possible E. coli 0157:H7 infection. For answers to legal questions about your rights as a victim of food poisoning, contact PritzkerOlsen, P.A., for a free case consultation at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or complete the contact form on the side of this Web page. An E. coli attorney at Pritzker has been in contact with victims of this outbreak and the firm has been conducting its own investigation of how a deadly pathogen contaminated the cheese and whether safe food practices were followed according to regulation.
AZ Costco Cheese E. coli Outbreak Now at 15 Cases
The Arizona Costco cheese E. coli outbreak has expanded to 15 confirmed illnesses, along with 10 in Colorado, three in southern California, three in New Mexico and two in Nevada, according to the latest E. coli investigation update by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The probe continues, but lab testing has confirmed a genetic match between E. coli 0157:H7 found in victims and in two opened packages of Bravo Farms Dutch Style Gouda Cheese taken from the homes of case patients. The packages were purchased at Costco and the cheese was made from raw milk, the CDC said. In addition, E. coli 0157:H7 has been detected in a previously unopened package of Bravo Farms Dutch Style Gouda Cheese sourced from a Costco store. Tests are pending to confirm if it is the outbreak strain.
As evidence mounts, public health investigators and experts hired by law firm PritzkerOlsen, P.A., may be able to tell exactly where in the chain of processing and distribution the pathogen was introduced. A leading suspect is raw milk, a germ carrier which CDC and FDA consider unsafe for human consumption. E. coli attorneys at Pritzker Olsen have brought raw milk E. coli lawsuits in the past and are in contact with victims of the current outbreak about a Bravo Farms Cheese lawsuit. To speak to an E. coli lawyer at the firm, call 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or complete the contact form on the side of this Web page. Pritzker Olsen is a leading national practitioner of foodborne illness litigation that has won millions of dollars for victims of food poisoning.
Meanwhile, Bravo Farms has recalled the affected Gouda raw milk cheese and the CDC has issued an alert to consumers and health professionals about the outbreak. The product in question was sold and sampled at Costco stores from October 5 through November 1. The CDC said Costco is continuing to cooperate and assist in the investigation.
Costco Gouda E. coli Outbreak Probe Continues
Additional lab testing is ongoing to confirm the presence of E. coli 0157:H7 discovered in a package of Bravo Farms Dutch Style Gouda Cheese purchased at Costco by a victim of the Costco gouda E. coli outbreak that has sickened at least 25 people in Arizona, Colorado, California, Nevada and New Mexico.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in its latest update on the Bravo Farms cheese E. coli outbreak that the results so far establish a preliminary link between the outbreak and one of several cheeses sampled and sold at Costco’s ”cheese road show” held at Costco Warehouses from October 5 to November 1. Bravo Farms is based in Traver, California.
According to the CDC, additional investigative activities are ongoing and include:
- Conducting surveillance for additional illnesses that could be related to the outbreak.
- Conducting epidemiologic studies that include collecting detailed information from ill persons (cases) and from healthy persons (controls) about foods recently eaten and other exposures.
- Gathering and testing food products that are suspected as possible sources of infection to see if they are contaminated with bacteria.
- Following epidemiologic leads gathered from interviews with patients, food purchase information, or from patterns of processing, production and/or distribution of suspected products.
- Investigating where in the distribution chain the point of contamination could have occurred.
This Costco cheese E. coli outbreak involves a rare strain of E. coli O157:H7 that has never been seen before in the PulseNet database. PulseNet is CDC’s national subtyping network made up of state, local and federal health laboratories. The network allows foodborne illness investigators to match illnesses to the same food source using genetic fingerprinting.
So far, nine victims have been hospitalized, including one with hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a sometimes fatal complication that can result in kidney failure, stroke, heart problems, anemia and central nervous system disorders, including paralysis. Small children, older adults and others with underdeveloped or weakened immune systems are most susceptiple to HUS.
A Costco/Bravo Farms E. coli outbreak claims center has been established by law firm PritzkerOlsen, P.A., for families and individuals affected by illnesses believed to be caused by contaminated cheese sold at Costco. An E. coli lawyer will provide a free case consultation at 1-888-377-8900 (TOLL FREE) or by completing the contact form on the side of this Web page. Pritzker Olsen is a leading national practitioner of E. coli litigation and has collected millions of dollars for people across the country in connection with foodborne illness outbreaks.
