E. coli Outbreak Research Examines Spinach
E. coli outbreak researchers for USDA created fluorescent E. coli cells to determine whether they can be internalized into roots of baby spinach plants — a recent project that found no evidence that E. coli O157:H7 was taken up in leaves or shoots of baby spinach plants grown in soil as many believed was the case.
The E. coli outbreak research was headed by Manan Sharma of the USDA’s Agriculture Research Service. His team modified several strains of E. coli to contain a gene for fluorescence, which allowed them to track the pathogen’s journey in spinach from field to harvest. Some of the modified bacteria they developed were highly pathogenic strains of E. coli O157:H7, the type of toxic E. coli that causes most cases of life-threatening hemolytic uremic syndrome (E. coli HUS) and thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP). These conditions cause kidney failure and can trigger a cascade of other severe bodily injuries by fragmenting a person’s red blood cells.
One of the findings confirmed that the pathogenic E. coli could survive in the soil for up to 28 days at different levels. The researchers observed that the fluorescent E. coli cells had been able to migrate into the roots of spinach plants, but not beyond unless the plants were grown in hydroponic conditions. Even then, the number of E. coli cells that made it to the stems and leaves were not considered numerous to cause an outbreak of foodborne illness.
According to USDA’s own interpretation of the research, Sharma believes these findings confirm that although E. coli O157:H7 can survive in soils, it is highly unlikely that foodborne illness would result from the bacterium becoming internalized through roots in leafy produce.
From the perspective of an E. coli lawyer, the finding is more evidence that spinach E. coli, lettuce E. coli and E. coli in other leafy greens is highly preventable and should not cause outbreaks if fresh produce growers and handlers are vigilant and take responsibility for keeping poisons out of the food they sell. Pritzker Olsen attorneys represents victims of E. coli outbreaks and other outbreaks of foodborne illness 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free). In addition, E. coli lawyerrs at the firm are actively involved in efforts to prevent E. coli outbreaks and other food poisonings to prevent the horrible illnesses and tragic deaths we have been witnessing for many years.
E. coli Trailed from Yuma to Wappingers Falls
Wappingers Falls, New York, is near Poughkeepsie in Dutchess County — thousands of miles away from a farm in Yuma, Arizona, where a lettuce harvest triggered a multi-state outbreak of E. coli O145 that public health officials continue to study.
The winter lettuce from Arizona was processed by Ohio-based Freshway Foods and distributed to wholesalers and institutions in 23 states and the District of Columbia. But the outbreak has been centered around college campuses in Columbus, Ohio; Ann Arbor, Michigan; and Amherst, New York.
In addition, middle and high school students at four schools in Wappingers Falls and nearby Hopewell Junction were sickened. In fact, of 30 total illnesses considered part of the outbreak in the latest CDC report, two of the worst illnesses were suffered by a 15-year-old and 17-year-old in this New York enclave.
The two students suffered hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a life-threatening disease that strikes in five to 15 percent of E. coli infections. Fortunately, no deaths have occurred. HUS is the leading cause of kidney failure in children worldwide, but it carries many other dangers ranging from brain stem injury to paralysis, coma, heart damage and central nervous system disorder.
So far, just one other victim of the Freshway Foods lettuce E. coli outbreak is reported to have suffered HUS. She is a freshman at Daemen College in Amherst, New York, and she has retained food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen to represent her in litigation for recoveries.
Fred Pritzker, founder and president of Pritzker Olsen, has monitored this E. coli O145 lettuce outbreak since it was first rumored in late April. His firm is conducting its own investigation of what caused the contamination and continues to be in contact with victims and public health officials investigating the outbreak.
Currently, the Food and Drug Administration is working closely with New York and other states to determine where in the distribution chain the point of contamination likely occurred. Public health and agriculture officials in Michigan, New York, Ohio, and Tennessee, along with CDC, are actively engaged in the investigation and are expected to publish more information as it becomes available.
The last lengthy update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention came on May 12.
E. coli O145 Lettuce Came From New York School
New York State produced multiple lines of evidence implicating shredded romaine lettuce from Ohio-based Freshway Foods as the source of infection in the nationally watched outbreak of E. coli O145.
The smoking gun proof that solved the mystery of what was causing E. coli infections in Michigan, Ohio and New York was a bag of unopened shredded romaine lettuce that came from a school associated with the outbreak. The bag itself arrived at New York’s Wadsworth Center laboratory on April 28 as part of a shipment of 150 pounds of lettuce to be studied.
Public health experts at the New York Department of Health and the Dutchess and Erie county health departments suspected lettuce based on their hard work in tracking down patients and finding out what they had eaten and where they had dined before becoming ill. To date, four confirmed and three probable cases of E. coli related to the outbreak have been identified in New York State.
One of those cases is a serious illness contracted by a female freshman student at Daemen College in Amherst. She is represented by food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen, which has been in contact with other victims of this outbreak. All together, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has indicated that 30 cases of diarrheal illness are considered to be part of the outbreak, including 23 that are laboratory-confirmed. One is in Tennessee and the rest are in Ohio and Michigan.
This week, New York officials recounted the steps of their investigation into the Freshway lettuce E. coli outbreak. They didn’t identify the school from which the bag of smoking gun lettuce came from, but it could have been Daemen or the public school district in Wappingers Falls, New York.
Both schools have students who developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) as a result of their E. coli O145 infections; two reportedly at Wappingers Falls. The freshman student at Daemen was hospitalized multiple times for treatment of HUS and she suffered kidney injuries that could affect her the rest of her life.
Pritzker Olsen continues to monitor the public health investigation of this outbreak and conduct its own research. The lettuce recalled by Freshway was shipped to two dozen states east of the of the Mississippi River and the District of Columbia. That means many more people could have been infected by the lettuce borne E. coli without getting a diagnosis.
Lack of Attention for Non-o157 E. coli Types
A major problem with this strain of E. coli is that most places don’t test for it and the federal government has ignored it. Everyone is focused on the most common Shiga toxin-producing E. coli – E. coli O157:H7.
All types of Shiga toxin E. coli bacteria cause diarrhea that is often bloody and accompanied by abdominal cramps. Fever is absent or mild. Symptoms usually appear about three days after exposure but may occur from one to nine days. Most people recover without treatment in five to 10 days, but life-threatening HUS or thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) develop in five to 15 percent of cases.
Not all diarrheal illness is caused by E. coli. However, a health care provider should be consulted immediately if diarrhea is present in children, has lasted more than a day or two in adults, or is bloody. HUS can begin as the diarrhea is improving and can occur in people of any age but is most common in children under 5 years.
If you have legal questions about this outbreak and are seeking a free case consultation with an E. coli lawyer, call Pritzker Olsen at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or complete our online contact form. Our firm is one of the few that practices extensively in the area of foodborne illness litigation and we have collected millions for victims of food poisoning in all corners of the U.S.
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.
Lettuce E. coli Lawsuits Certain to Result From Freshway Foods Shredded Romaine Outbreak
Lettuce E. coli lawsuits are certain to result from an outbreak of E. coli O145 tied by public health investigation to Freshway Foods of Sidney, Ohio.
National food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen is conducting its own research on the outbreak and has been in contact with potential victims.
The outbreak has taken a toll on students in schools and on college campuses in Ohio, Michigan and New York. These institutions are Ohio State University in Columbus, University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Daemen College in Amherst, New York; and public schools in Wappingers Falls, New York.
Shredded Romaine lettuce from Freshway is the implicated source of infection in this outbreak according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “Multiple lines of evidence” support the finding, including a positive test for E. coli in a previously unopened package of shredded romaine obtained from a “facility” associated with the outbreak.
The CDC said DNA testing to confirm the link to ill persons is pending at this time. Meanwhile, Freshway Foods has issued a lettuce recall as a result of the evidence obtained to date. The products were sold in 23 states and Washington, D.C., to foodservice accounts including cafeterias, delis, restaurants, grocery store salad bars and institutions.
The latest CDC update on the lettuce E. coli outbreak counts 19 confirmed victims and 10 probable since March 1. Three victims developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a potentially deadly disease that commonly shuts down a person’s kidneys but also can invade further to cause brain injury, paralysis, heart problems, coma, stroke and nervous system disorders.
In Wappingers Falls, School District Superintendent James Parla told the Poughkeepsie Journal that there were two confirmed cases of E. coli, three probable cases and one suspected case. The students go to Roy C. Ketcham High School, John Jay High School, Wappingers Junior High School and Van Wyck Middle School.
The investigation into the Freshway Foods E. coli outbreak is continuing and it includes a focus on a farm in Yuma, Arizona, where investigators believe the tainted romaine may have originated. The Associated Press quoted Laura Oxley, a spokeswoman for the Arizona agriculture and health departments, who said there were no additional shipments to stop because it is the end of the winter lettuce season in the state.
To contact an E. coli attorney at Pritzker Olsen, call 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or complete our online contact form. We will provide a free case consultation and answer legal questions you may have about this outbreak.
Our firm is one of the few in the country practicing extensively in the area of foodborne illness litigation and we have collected millions for victims of food poisoning. We are involved in practically every major outbreak of food poisoning as an advocate for victims.
