A hospital in Germany treating over 100 patients infected with E. coli claims the outbreak was caused by sprouts, says Bloomberg. The new strain of E. coli has devastated Germany, leaving 23 dead and 2,429 ill since May 2. Patients treated at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE) revealed during interviews that they ate sprouts before becoming sick.

Joerg F. Debatin, medical director of the hospital said, “Sprouts are the most likely and credible explanation, and it wouldn’t be the first time.” (more…)

A new strand of E. coli bacteria is causing a deadly outbreak in Europe, reported the World Health Organization (WHO). On Thursday, the agency said tests suggest the strain is a mutant form of two E. coli bacterium which carries lethal genes making it resistant to several classes of antibiotics.

According to MSNBC.com, the new E. coli strain has killed 17 people in Germany and one in Sweden, while more than 1,500 people have been reported ill. Scientists are calling this the worst recorded E. coli breakout in history. In 1996, two people died in a Japanese outbreak that also left more than 12,000 ill; while in 2000, seven people died during a Canadian outbreak. (more…)

Health officials in Texas in Texas are trying to figure out if a sewage spill is behind a recent E. coli outbreak linked to at Fralo’s Art of Pizza in Leon Springs. In August, at least 24 people who ate at the restaurant became ill. The illnesses started right around the time a sewage spill occurred across the street from the restaurant.

The US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that every year at least 2000 Americans are hospitalized and about 60 die as a direct result of E. coli infection and its complications. Symptoms of infection may include severe and often bloody diarrhea, abdominal pain and vomiting. Often, little or no fever is present. Most healthy adults recover within a week. Young children and the elderly are at higher risk for developing Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS) as a result of the infection. HUS can lead to serious kidney damage and death.
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It looks like Nestle’s Toll House cookie dough E. coli problem isn’t over. The company has announced that E. coli has been found in two samples of cookie dough made at its plant in Danville Virginia.

According to Nestle, the factory will be shut down for two weeks while Nestle modifies its recipe and production process. When the Nestle factory reopens, the company will begin using flour that has been heated to kill E. coli and other pathogens. (more…)

Federal regulators are reviewing the operations of Beef Products Inc., following a New York Times investigation that found the company’s method of using ammonia to eliminate E. coli and Salmonella from beef trim may not work as well as has been claimed.

Exposing meat to ammonia gas raises its alkalinity, which should make it less hospitable to E. coli and Salmonella. Using this method, Beef Products was able to use fattier beef trim – which is more susceptible to contamination – for ground beef. The company’s research showed this method reduced pathogen’s to “undetectable” levels. (more…)

Beef recalled by National Steak and Poultry, of Owasso, Oklahoma has been tied to an outbreak of E. coli O157 H7 in six western states.

The National Steak and Poultry recall involves 248,000 of beef products. A complete list of the the recalled products can be found here. (more…)

The families of  children sickened in two separate E. coli O157:H7 outbreaks have filed lawsuits against the meat packing firms they say are responsible.

E. coli O157:H7 is a potentially deadly bacterium that can cause bloody diarrhea, dehydration, and in the most severe cases, kidney failure. The very young, seniors and persons with weak immune systems are the most susceptible to foodborne illness. Individuals concerned about an illness should contact a physician. (more…)

Two people may have died as a result of an E. coli outbreak that spans 12 states.  According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 16 victims have been hospitalized, with three suffering from kidney failure.

Consumers are being advised to safely prepare raw meat products, whether they are fresh or frozen, and only consume ground beef that has been cooked to a temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), the only way to be sure ground beef is cooked to a high enough temperature to kill harmful bacteria is to use a food thermometer to measure the internal temperature. (more…)

Another E. coli scare has prompted a recall of ground beef products.  This time, Fairbank Farms of Ashville, New York is recalling more than 500,000 lbs of ground beef intended for distribution to retail establishments in Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions.

Over the weekend, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) said there was an association between the fresh ground beef products subject to recall and E. coli O157:H7 illnesses in Connecticut, Maine and Massachusetts.  According to a Reuters report, a death in New Hampshire may also be connected to tainted Fairbank Farms ground beef.  (more…)

A Rhode Island  E. coli outbreak has prompted South Shore Meats, Inc. of  Brockton, Mass. to recall frozen ground beef patties.

At least  20 schoolchildren and adults from Rhode Island became  ill after visiting Camp Bournedale in Plymouth, Mass. earlier this month. According to a report on Boston.com, there is evidence that the ground beef collected at Camp Bournedale was tainted with the same strain of  E. coli confirmed in two children who attended the camp. Those two children, among the Rhode Island students who experienced gastrointestinal illness after  attending a field trip at the camp, were hospitalized for several days.  (more…)