NC: 106 who attended Cleveland Co. fair stricken by E. coli; toddler dies; New strain of E. Coli identified; Petting Zoo, the source

[Shiloh]

Source: http://www.reflector.com/ap/staten/13-who-attended-cleveland-fair-ill-e-coli-1262209

15 who attended fair stricken by E. coli bacteria
The Associated Press

Friday, October 12, 2012

SHELBY, N.C. (AP) ? North Carolina health officials say an E. coli outbreak is responsible for the illness of 15 people who attended the Cleveland County Fair.

State health officials said Friday the number of people from Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln counties who reported becoming sick after visiting the fair in Shelby increased by two children.

Ten children and five adults have become sick. Seven are from Cleveland County, five from Gaston County, and three from Lincoln County.

Several victims were treated and released from hospitals. A 12-year-old Gaston County boy is hospitalized in Charlotte in intensive care...

 

[Shiloh]

Re: NC: 15 who attended Cleveland Co. fair stricken by E. coli

Re: NC: 15 who attended Cleveland Co. fair stricken by E. coli

Source: http://www.shelbystar.com/news/local/e-coli-cases-linked-to-fair-now-at-16-1.29046

E. coli cases linked to fair now at 16
By Diane Turbyfill
Published: Friday, October 12, 2012 at 21:12 PM.

State health officials now say 16 people are likely infected with E. coli ? seven in Cleveland County, five in Gaston County, three in Lincoln County and one case in York County, S.C.

The patients have one thing in common ? all went to the Cleveland County Fair between Sept. 26 and Oct. 7...

 

[Shiloh]

Re: NC: 15 who attended Cleveland Co. fair stricken by E. coli

Re: NC: 15 who attended Cleveland Co. fair stricken by E. coli

Source: http://www.wbtv.com/story/19809532/toddler-dies-while-being-treated-for-suspected-e-coli


Toddler dies while being treated for suspected E. coli
Posted: Oct 12, 2012 8:59 PM EDT Updated: Oct 12, 2012 8:59 PM EDT
By John Cominsky - email

CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) -

A toddler has died at Levine Children's Hospital while being treated for a suspected case of E. coli, sources told WBTV.

Gage Lefevers, a toddler from Gaston County, passed away Friday afternoon at the hospital, sources said.

A source close to the family confirms to WBTV the toddler was being treated for suspected E. coli, possibly contracted at the Cleveland County Fair.

Gage was one of 16 people in four counties who may have been sickened with the bacteria...

 

[Emily]

Re: NC: 16 who attended Cleveland Co. fair stricken by E. coli; toddler dies

Re: NC: 16 who attended Cleveland Co. fair stricken by E. coli; toddler dies

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57531918/20-sickened-by-e-coli-in-n.c.-toddler-dies/?tag=contentAux;mostPopular

CBS/AP/ October 13, 2012, 5:01 PM
20 sickened by E. coli in N.C.; Toddler dies
[snip]
Family members of other E. coli victims told WBTV that they are all gathered in support at the hospital tonight...

Gage Lefevers (Source: Facebook)​

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/meat/safe/o157.html

By Madeline Drexler
[snip]
Where did E. coli O157:H7 come from in the first place? Scientists have pieced together a long, rather provocative history. Genetic lineages suggest that about 50,000 years ago, O157 and another closely related serotype -- O55:H7, which causes infant diarrhea in developing nations -- split off from the same mother cell. Since then, O157 has taken part in a series of biological mergers and acquisitions that left it as vigorous as one of today's giant pharmaceutical houses. Indeed, a 2001 study showed that O157, composed of more than 5,400 genes, picks up foreign DNA at a much faster rate than do other organisms. At some point, it acquired two deadly Shiga toxin genes after being infected by a bacteriophage, a tiny virus that insinuates its DNA into the chromosome of a bacterium. In the microbial world, phages are like squatters in Amsterdam, casually taking up residence in new bacteria, perhaps as a response to environmental stresses such as ultraviolet light or toxic chemicals. Bacteriophages are also the villains behind some of the most deadly human plagues; the genes coding for the cholera toxin, for instance, were borne on a phage. So what surrounding pressures compelled the phage carrying the Shiga toxin genes to light out for a new home in E. coli? In experiments on mice, Tufts University researcher David Acheson may have found the answer. When Acheson gave the animals low levels of antibiotics, the phage virus wildly replicated itself, and its magnified forces were more likely to infect other bacteria. Antibiotics also spurred the phage to pour out clouds of Shiga toxin. Acheson speculates that when farmers began the practice of feeding cattle small doses of antibiotics to spur growth, beginning in the 1950s -- perhaps not coincidentally, when the first reports of sporadic HUS in children came out -- they may have unleashed O157. More backing for this theory comes from epidemiological evidence. E. coli O157:H7 is a disease of affluent, developed nations -- which also happen to be the ones that feed growth-promoting antibiotics to livestock...

 

[Shiloh]

Re: NC: 21 who attended Cleveland Co. fair stricken by E. coli; toddler dies

Re: NC: 21 who attended Cleveland Co. fair stricken by E. coli; toddler dies

Source: http://www.wcnc.com/news/editors-pick/E-coli-cases-jumps-to-21-source-unknown-174122041.html


E. coli cases jumps to 21 on Sunday, source unknown
by BERNADETTE JAY / WCNC.com
Posted on October 14, 2012 at 9:12 PM

CLEVELAND COUNTY, N.C. ? Sunday the number of E. coli cases bumped again, this time to 21.

Officials said the latest case was in Cleveland County. All of the cases have been link to the Cleveland County fair, including that of a 2-year-old Gaston County toddler who died Friday night...

 

[Shiloh]

Re: NC: 38 who attended Cleveland Co. fair stricken by E. coli; toddler dies

Re: NC: 38 who attended Cleveland Co. fair stricken by E. coli; toddler dies

Source: http://www2.whlt.com/news/2012/oct/15/e-coli-cases-tied-to-nc-county-fair-jumps-to-38-ar-4760386/

E. Coli cases tied to NC county fair jumps to 38
By: | Associated Press
Published: October 15, 2012
SHELBY, N.C. --

SHELBY, N.C. (AP) The number of people stricken by an outbreak of E. coli bacteria has jumped to 38 visitors to a county fair in North Carolina. One child is dead.

The state Department of Health and Human Services said Monday that 22 children and 16 adults who attended the Cleveland County Fair have been sickened. Two are from South Carolina...

 

[Shiloh]

Re: NC: 46 who attended Cleveland Co. fair stricken by E. coli; toddler dies

Re: NC: 46 who attended Cleveland Co. fair stricken by E. coli; toddler dies

Source: http://www.wsoctv.com/news/news/local/e-coli-cases-tied-outbreak-now-46/nSd9b/



Posted: 2:20 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2012
E. coli cases tied to outbreak now at 46


CLEVELAND COUNTY, N.C. ?

There are now 46 cases of E. coli infections associated with a local outbreak, the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services said on Tuesday.

All of the people involved attended the Cleveland County Fair, officials said. The exact cause of the outbreak is still under investigation.

Officials said as of 1 p.m. Tuesday, 29 children and 17 adults were known to have been affected by the outbreak. Ten people have been or are currently hospitalized, and one person has died...

 

[Shiloh]

Re: NC: 61 who attended Cleveland Co. fair stricken by E. coli; toddler dies

Re: NC: 61 who attended Cleveland Co. fair stricken by E. coli; toddler dies

Source: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/10/17/3602731/funeral-for-e-coli-victim-today.html


61 E. coli cases now linked to Cleveland County Fair
By Joe DePriest
jdepriest@charlotteobserver.com
Posted: Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2012

State health officials said Wednesday that the number of E. coli cases linked to the Cleveland County Fair has climbed to 61.

They reported that 36 children and 23 adults are known to have been affected by the outbreak. Ages for two additional individuals were not available, officials said.

The N.C. Division of Health and Human Resources said Wednesday that 11 victims have required hospital treatment...

 

[Shiloh]

Re: NC: 81 who attended Cleveland Co. fair stricken by E. coli; toddler dies

Re: NC: 81 who attended Cleveland Co. fair stricken by E. coli; toddler dies

Source: http://www.wsoctv.com/news/news/local/e-coli-outbreak-grows-81-cases/nSg6s/

Posted: 6:42 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 18, 2012
E. coli outbreak grows to 81 cases
By Linzi Sheldon

CLEVELAND COUNTY, N.C. ?

On Thursday, N.C. health officials said the E. coli outbreak linked to the Cleveland County Fair has infected 81 people so far and may have started with exposure to animals there...

 

[Shiloh]

Re: NC: 81 who attended Cleveland Co. fair stricken by E. coli; toddler dies; New strain of E. Coli identified

Re: NC: 81 who attended Cleveland Co. fair stricken by E. coli; toddler dies; New strain of E. Coli identified

Source: http://www.shelbystar.com/news/local/health-officials-new-e-coli-strain-identified-1.32667

Health officials: New E. coli strain identified
By Alicia Banks
Published: Thursday, October 18, 2012 at 18:45 PM.

SHELBY ? State health officials have discovered a new strain of a contagious bacterial infection in the investigation of an illness outbreak linked to the Cleveland County Fair, according to the county health department director.
Officials confirmed Thursday that eight patients with E. coli share a similar, unknown strain of the infection, said county health director Dorothea Wyant.
?This strain has never been identified before,? Wyant said. ?It doesn?t have a name...?

 

[Shiloh]

Re: NC: 106 who attended Cleveland Co. fair stricken by E. coli; toddler dies; New strain of E. Coli identified

Re: NC: 106 who attended Cleveland Co. fair stricken by E. coli; toddler dies; New strain of E. Coli identified

Source: http://www.wbtv.com/story/19817714/e-coli-outbreak-hits-106-toddler-victim-laid-to-rest


E. coli outbreak hits 106; toddler victim laid to rest
Posted: Oct 14, 2012 9:23 PM EDT Updated: Oct 19, 2012 5:43 PM EDT
By Kay Johnson - bio | email

CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) -

The number of E. coli cases in the area rose to 106 Friday afternoon, according to the NC Department of Health and Human Services.

The grieving parents of the 2-year-old Gaston County toddler stricken by E. coli laid him to rest Wednesday afternoon in Gaston County...

 

[Shiloh]

Re: NC: 101 who attended Cleveland Co. fair stricken by E. coli; toddler dies; New strain of E. Coli identified

Re: NC: 101 who attended Cleveland Co. fair stricken by E. coli; toddler dies; New strain of E. Coli identified

Source: http://foodpoisoningbulletin.com/20...y-fair-e-coli-outbreak-grows-to-101-patients/

North Carolina Cleveland County Fair E. coli Outbreak Grows to 101 Patients
October 24, 2012 By Linda Larsen

The Division of Public Health of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is investigating the E. coli outbreak among people who visited the Cleveland County Fair in September and early October. As of 1 p.m. October 24, 2012, 62 children and 39 adults are ill with the outbreak strain of the bacteria...

 

[Shiloh]

Re: NC: 104 who attended Cleveland Co. fair stricken by E. coli; toddler dies; New strain of E. Coli identified

Re: NC: 104 who attended Cleveland Co. fair stricken by E. coli; toddler dies; New strain of E. Coli identified

Source: http://foodpoisoningbulletin.com/2012/cleveland-county-nc-fair-e-coli-outbreak-grows-again/


Cleveland County NC Fair E. coli Outbreak Grows Again
October 28, 2012 By Linda Larsen
As of Friday, October 26, 2012, the case count in the E. coli outbreak linked to the Cleveland County Fair in North Carolina has grown to include 104 people. Sixty-three children and forty-one adults have been affected in this outbreak. Thirteen people have been or are currently hospitalized. One child has died...

 

[Shiloh]

Re: NC: 106 who attended Cleveland Co. fair stricken by E. coli; toddler dies; New strain of E. Coli identified

Re: NC: 106 who attended Cleveland Co. fair stricken by E. coli; toddler dies; New strain of E. Coli identified

Source: http://foodpoisoningbulletin.com/2012/cleveland-county-fair-outbreak-update-for-102912/

Cleveland County Fair Outbreak Update for 10/29/12
October 29, 2012 By Linda Larsen

The Division of Public Health of the New York Department of Health and Human Services in North Carolina has updated the E. coli outbreak linked to the Cleveland County Fair. Now 106 people are ill, including 65 children and 41 adults. Thirteen people have been or are currently hospitalized. One child has died as a result of the infection..

 

[Shiloh]

Re: NC: 106 who attended Cleveland Co. fair stricken by E. coli; toddler dies; New strain of E. Coli identified

Re: NC: 106 who attended Cleveland Co. fair stricken by E. coli; toddler dies; New strain of E. Coli identified

Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/11/09/2473249/petting-zoo-was-e-coli-source.html

Petting zoo was E. coli source at Cleveland fair
By Joe DePriest - jdepriest@charlotteobserver.com

SHELBY -- The petting zoo at the Cleveland County Fair was the focal point of the E. coli outbreak that killed one person and sickened 105 others last month, local and state health officials announced Friday.

Weather also was a factor, officials said.

During an afternoon news conference, officials said a study conducted after the outbreak showed that people who visited the fair?s petting zoo were more likely to have gotten sick ? especially those who fed animals at the petting zoo...