CDC Reports Ongoing Outbreak E. coli STEC Infections with 17 Cases So Far, Food Not Yet Identified

The CDC reports that there is an ongoing outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 infections.  To date, there have been 17 cases in 7 states, with those states located across the country.  A source food or establishment has not yet been identified.
Connecticut  2
Idaho  4
Missouri  1
New Jersey  6
Ohio  1
Pennsylvania  2
Washington  1
Total  17

While finding the source in this type of cross-country outbreak is probably not easy, the ability to track and match the bacterial strains for each of the cases is incredible, especially when you consider that many of the states only have one or two cases.

https://www.cdc.gov/ecoli/2018/o157h7-04-18/index.html
Investigation Notice: Multistate Outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 Infections
Posted April 10, 2018 6:00 PM EST


CDC, several states, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service are investigating a multistate outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O157:H7 infections. The investigation is still ongoing and a specific food item, grocery store, or restaurant chain has not been identified as the source of infections. CDC is not recommending that consumers avoid any particular food at this time. Restaurants and retailers are not advised to avoid serving or selling any particular food. We will update our advice if a source is identified.

Outbreak At A Glance
•Case Count: 17
•States: 7
•Deaths: 0
•Hospitalizations: 6

Multistate Outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 Infections

April 10, 2018

CDC, several states, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service are investigating a multistate outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O157:H7 infections. This investigation includes E. coli O157:H7 infections recently reported by the New Jersey Department of Health.

Public health investigators are using the PulseNet system to identify illnesses that may be part of this outbreak. PulseNet is the national subtyping network of public health and food regulatory agency laboratories coordinated by CDC. DNA fingerprinting is performed on E. coli bacteria isolated from ill people using techniques called pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and whole genome sequencing (WGS). CDC PulseNet manages a national database of these DNA fingerprints to identify possible outbreaks. WGS gives a more detailed DNA fingerprint than PFGE.

Illnesses reported by investigators in New Jersey also included ill people who had a diagnostic test showing they were infected with E. coli bacteria. Laboratory testing is ongoing to link their illnesses to the outbreak using DNA fingerprinting. Some people may not be included in CDC’s case count because no bacterial isolates are available for the DNA fingerprinting needed to link them to the outbreak.

As of April 9, 2018, 17 people infected with the outbreak strain of E. coli O157:H7 have been reported from 7 states. A list of the states and the number of cases in each can be found on the Case Count Map page. Illnesses started on dates ranging from March 22, 2018 to March 31, 2018. Ill people range in age from 12 to 84 years, with a median age of 41. Among ill people, 65% are female. Six ill people have been hospitalized, including one person who developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a type of kidney failure. No deaths have been reported.

The investigation is still ongoing and a specific food item, grocery store, or restaurant chain has not been identified as the source of infections.  State and local public health officials are interviewing ill people to determine what they ate and other exposures in the week before their illness started.

CDC will provide more information as it becomes available.