Salad leaves ‘contaminated with cow feces’ have been blamed for a major E. Coli outbreak in the Midwest.
The St. Louis County Department of Public Health has reported 115 cases, including 13 hospitalizations, across Missouri and neighboring states.
Two people remain hospitalized, while three casualties have been diagnosed with Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome, or HUS, a rare but serious type of kidney disease.
Health inspectors say genetic testing and patient diets continue to suggest the source of the outbreak was leafy greens.
According to local news outlet KSDK, 25 of the cases confined to St. Louis were directly tied to one specific business Andre’s Banquets and Catering, which served food at multiple events.
The events which are currently being investigated, include two high school music events, two funerals, and a veterans event, which took place between November 6 and 9.
At least four lawsuits have been filed against Andre’s in connection to the outbreak.
This includes one case filed by a mother whose child received emergency medical care after consuming food at an event catered by Andre’s on November 8.
Salad leaves ‘contaminated with cow feces’ have been blamed for a major E. coli outbreak in the north central US
The legal complaint filed in St. Louis County Circuit Court details that the child developed symptoms two days after the event, with these including severe pain and bloody diarrhea.
Attorney Bill Marler is representing around a dozen people who have been affected by the E. Coli outbreak.
From his experience dealing with similar cases, he suspects the salad leaves were contaminated at their point of origin.
He told KSDK: ‘They all link these things back to frankly, cattle, and it’s cattle feces. It’s near where they’re growing the lettuce, too close to them.’
Jory Lange, another attorney representing several affected families, encouraged other victims to step forward.
He explained: ‘This has really wrecked people’s lives.
‘Some people have had acute kidney failure, HUS, which E. coli can cause, can lead to lifelong complications and problems.
‘It’s really a big deal and it’s important for people to know that they’re entitled to compensation for what they’ve gone through.’
Whole genome sequencing (WGS) has revealed additional E. Coli cases with matching profiles in several states, including Kansas, Illinois, North Dakota, South Dakota, Ohio and Indiana.
Attorney Bill Marler is representing around a dozen people who have been affected by the E. Coli outbreak. From his experience, he suspects the salad leaves were contaminated by cow feces
John Armengol Jr, who owns Andre’s Banquets and Catering, released a statement on Facebook in light of the incidents and said he ‘immediately cooperated’ with the St. Louis County Department of Public Health.
He claims that St. Louis County issued a press release ‘wrongly suggesting that Andre’s was the source of the E. Coli’ before the lettuce was tested.
In Mr Armengol’s statement, issued on November 22, he added: ‘Earlier today, an Environmental Public Health Specialist from the State of Missouri notified me that testing done on the samples was negative for E. Coli.
‘While I am relieved to learn of the Missouri State Public Health Laboratory’s NEGATIVE test results, I will continue to cooperate with the state and local health departments as they now work to determine the source of E. Coli that has caused illnesses in the region and which has resulted in individuals who did not attend any events affiliated with Andre’s contracting E. Coli.’
Despite the negative test result conducted at Andre’s on an unopened bag of iceberg lettuce, the health department says it ‘does not conclusively rule out the salad as the source of the E. Coli outbreak.’
St. Louis County Health Department Senior Epidemiologist Amanda Brzozowski says they are almost certain it was a food product, but ‘we still don’t know if it’s at the farm, if it’s storing, the processing, the distribution.’
E. coli O157:H7 can cause dehydration, bloody diarrhea and abdominal cramps for up to eight days after exposure.
While most people recover within a week, some develop a type of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS).
This condition can occur among persons of any age but is most common in children under five-years old and older adults.
It is marked by easy bruising, pallor, and decreased urine output and those who experience any of these symptoms have been told to seek emergency medical care immediately.
Commenting on the investigation, which remains ongoing, Saint Louis County Department of Public Health’s director Dr. Kanika Cunningham said: ‘With 25 cases tied to one specific business and no significant increase in new cases expected, we are confident that we are nearing the conclusion of this outbreak investigation.
‘We are immensely grateful for the cooperation of affected individuals and families, particularly those who participated in surveys. This data has been essential to our progress and confidence in these findings.’
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
