US - Investigation ongoing on E. Coli O145 outbreak in six states

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A doctor's advice on protection against E. coli

Updated: Jun 04, 2012 9:51 PM CDT

The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals confirms that a New Orleans-area child diagnosed with E. coli infection has died. The agency is now trying to find the exact source of the toxic infections that also made two other people sick.

Touro family physician Dr. Meredith Maxwell says the advice is simple when it comes to protecting yourself against a potentially fatal infection.

She says the symptoms begin as any stomach virus would.

"I've been seeing a lot of gastroenteritis, nausea, diarrhea," she said. "I've also seen people go into renal failure from the dehydration caused by the E. coli strain."
...
The USDA announced it is expanding the search for dangerous bacteria in meat. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety Inspection services will begin testing ground beef for six additional strains of E. coli.

If the meat is contaminated, it will be banned from being sold and subject to a recall.
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http://www.fox8live.com/story/18699293/a-doctors-advice-to-combat-e

 

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Re: Louisiana - New Orleans-area child diagnosed with E. coli infection has died

Re: Louisiana - New Orleans-area child diagnosed with E. coli infection has died

Posted: Tuesday, 05 June 2012 6:12AM


Search on for source of deadly E.coli that killed New Orleans area child

Dave Cohen Reporting

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The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals says it is working with federal officials to determine where the E.coli came from that killed a baby girl and sickened at least two other people in the New Orleans area.

Authorities say it appears to be part of a cluster of cases reported in the South in May. The dead New Orleans area child was reportedly 21 months old.

Officials at the Audubon Zoo say rumors that the deadly E.coli was linked to the petting zoo are unfounded.

The Zoo issued a news release quoting Dr. Gary Balsamo, State Public Health Veterinarian and Assistant State Epidemiologist in the Office of Public Health, Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals.

It it Balsamo says, "Three cases of toxigenic E.coli were reported to DHH in May 2012 in the Greater New Orleans area. These cases all have the same 'DNA fingerprints'. They are part of a CDC cluster of cases coming from several southern states. The CDC investigation has not yet identified the common source. Rumors that the strain are coming from petting zoos appear to be unfounded."

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http://www.wwl.com/Search-on-for-source-of-deadly-E-coli-that-killed-/13328504

 

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Re: Louisiana - New Orleans-area child diagnosed with E. coli infection has died

Re: Louisiana - New Orleans-area child diagnosed with E. coli infection has died

Officials try to determine deadly E. coli outbreak

<!--sub headline-->Strain killed 21-month-old, sickened 2 other children

UPDATED 7:35 AM CDT Jun 05, 2012

...
Dr. Takeisha Davis, of the state Officer of Public Health, said the same strain of E. coli sickened two other children in the New Orleans area and is linked to a multi-state outbreak.

"Several southern states are involved and we are all working together with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to confirm the common source to make sure we're protecting the citizens," Davis said.

Experts said this particular strain of bacteria is more dangerous than others. It sickened three people in 2010 and three others in 2011.
...
"The most common strain of e coli causes garden variety stomach flu type symptoms. this strain is more serious. And unfortunately can lead to the types of tragedies hearing about now," Davis said.

Doctors said this strain of E. coli infection usually results from consuming contaminated food or water, or from contact with infected animals or people.

Full text:
http://www.wdsu.com/news/health/Off...eak/-/9853288/14570370/-/coeguoz/-/index.html

 

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Louisiana - New Orleans area child killed by E. coli - two other adults sickened - linked to a multi-state outbreak

Louisiana - New Orleans area child killed by E. coli - two other adults sickened - linked to a multi-state outbreak

Recent E. coli deaths not linked to petting zoo, officials say

wwltv.com
Posted on June 5, 2012 at 7:59 PM
Updated today at 9:32 AM
Meg Farris / Eyewitness News

NEW ORLEANS -- State health officials say last month three people in this area contracted the E. coli bacteria. One of them recently died from the illness.

The funeral for the little girl was held Monday. Now the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals has some partial answers.

Family and friends and the Academy of the Sacred Heart Community are mourning the loss of a little girl. Maelan Elizabeth Graffagnini was just 21 months old. She was gravely ill from the E. coli bacteria while fighting for her life at Ochsner Hospital for weeks.

Two other adults in the New Orleans area were also sickened by the same strain of E. coli linked to a multi-state outbreak.

But Tuesday night, state health officials are discounting speculation that in this new case, the bacteria was contracted from animals at the Audubon petting zoo. They say their scientific investigation shows otherwise.

Dr. Raoult Ratard, who is the state epidemiologist, wrote in a statement: "Contact with a petting zoo can be ruled out due to the fact that no cases, except one, had contact with the local petting zoo. The likely exposure is a food source but this has yet to be confirmed."

More...
http://www.wwltv.com/news/Recent-E-...d-to-petting-zoo-officials-say-157359245.html

http://obits.nola.com/obituaries/nola/obituary.aspx?n=maelan-elizabeth-graffagnini&pid=157892035

 

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Re: Louisiana - New Orleans area child killed by E. coli - two other adults sickened - linked to a multi-state outbreak

Re: Louisiana - New Orleans area child killed by E. coli - two other adults sickened - linked to a multi-state outbreak

Metro Atlanta / State News 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Georgia, CDC probe E. coli outbreak

By Christopher Seward
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A cluster of E. coli cases was being investigated Wednesday in the metro Atlanta area as health officials in several Southern states looked at similar cases, including at least one death.

The Georgia Department of Public Health on Wednesday confirmed the region has five confirmed cases of a strain of E. coli infection known as E. coli 0145. One sufferer required hospitalization. No deaths, however, have been reported in Georgia.

The department, which is working with the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has identified two cases of E. coli 0145 in Cobb County and one each in Cherokee, Coweta and Forsyth counties.

According to public health spokeswoman Nicole Price, four of the five cases involve women 18 to 52 years old, and the E. coli was reported between April 15 and April 28. The source of the E. coli, however, has not been determined.
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Food Safety News reported recently that an E. coli 0145 outbreak in Louisiana killed a 21-month-old girl in New Orleans on May 31 and sickened at least two other adults. Louisiana health officials are also working with the CDC to track down the cause of the outbreak.

Health departments in Tennessee, Alabama and Florida also were investigating similar cases.

Full text:
http://www.ajc.com/news/georgia-cdc-probe-e-1453526.html

 

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Re: Louisiana - New Orleans area child killed by E. coli - two other adults sickened - linked to a multi-state outbreak

Re: Louisiana - New Orleans area child killed by E. coli - two other adults sickened - linked to a multi-state outbreak

FOOD OUTBREAK NEWS SCAN: Multistate E coli outbreak, E coli-related HUS in kids

Jun 6, 2012

Authorities probe multistate toxigenic E coli outbreak

Health officials in Louisiana and Georgia are investigating the source of at least eight toxigenic Escherichia coli cases in the New Orleans area and across Georgia, according to media reports. Three Louisiana infections all have the same DNA footprint, including one that killed a 21-month-old girl, WDSU News, a TV station based in New Orleans, reported yesterday. Gary Balsamo, DVM, assistant state epidemiologist with the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, released a statement to the station that said the cases are linked to a multistate cluster involving several southern states that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is investigating. He said so far a common source has not been identified, and he said rumors of a link to petting zoos appear to be unfounded. The girl became ill about 2 months ago and had been hospitalized, according to the news report. Authorities have not said what E coli subtype is involved, but another WDSU story said the outbreak strain is more dangerous than others and was implicated in three illnesses in 2010 and three infections in 2011. A Georgia health official said at least five E coli O145 cases in that state are connected to the cases in New Orleans, Food Safety News (FSN) reported today.

Jun 5 WDSU report
Jun 5 WDSU report
Jun 6 FSN story

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http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidrap/content/fs/food-disease/news/jun0612foodscan.html

 

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Re: US - Investigation ongoing on E. Coli O145 outbreak in four southern states

Re: US - Investigation ongoing on E. Coli O145 outbreak in four southern states

By Brian Hartman
Jun 7, 2012 4:34pm

E. Coli Outbreak in CDC?s Backyard

The nation?s top disease hunters are racing to solve a mysterious outbreak that is unfolding right in their own backyard.

The death of an infant in New Orleans last week has been linked to at least 10 other cases of E. coli illness in four southern states. The largest cluster of five sickened people, ranging in age from 18 to 52, is centered in Atlanta, home to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

?At this time, we continue to interview new cases as we are notified of them,? Georgia?s Department of Public Health spokeswoman Nicole Price said in an email to ABC News. ?We have detected no food items or environmental exposures that are statistically associated with illness at this time. This investigation is ongoing.?
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Alabama public health officials have linked two cases to this outbreak. And in Florida, a 22-year-old woman?s illness has been traced to the same dangerous bacterium.

Aside from the E. coli strain, all these cases have in common is that officials still have no idea what caused the illnesses.

Full text:
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/06/e-coli-outbreak-in-cdcs-backyard/

 

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US - Investigation ongoing on E. Coli O145 outbreak in four southern states

US - Investigation ongoing on E. Coli O145 outbreak in four southern states

Officials probe E. Coli outbreak linked to 14 illnesses and 1 death in at least 6 states

By Associated Press, Updated: Friday, June 8, 10:48 AM

ATLANTA ? Health officials are investigating a mysterious and scattered outbreak of the E. coli bacteria linked to 14 illnesses and one death.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said no form of contaminated food or other cause has been identified in the illnesses, which occurred in April and May. They are spread among six states.
...
The outbreak strain is E. coli 0145, a dangerous but not well-known type of bacteria...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/natio...ast-6-states/2012/06/08/gJQAGjloNV_story.html

 

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Re: US - Investigation ongoing on E. Coli O145 outbreak in six states

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2012/06/08/health/e-coli-outbreak/index.html

E. coli outbreak sickens 14 in six states
By Miriam Falco, CNN
updated 12:37 PM EDT, Fri June 8, 2012
STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Local media report Louisiana toddler is only fatality
Georgia has five cases, the most in one state
Cause is unknown, but local and federal officials are investigating

Atlanta (CNN) -- Federal health officials say 14 people in six states have been sickened by the same strain of E. coli over the past couple of months.

According to CDC spokeswoman Lola Russell, 14 cases of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O145 infection with the same DNA fingerprint were identified in six states. "Their illness onsets range from April 15 to May 12, 2012," she said. "Three ill persons have been hospitalized. One death has been reported in Louisiana."

Cases have been reported in Louisiana, Georgia, Alabama and Florida, according to local health departments and media reports. The CDC would not reveal which other two states were reporting cases.

Louisiana health officials would confirm only that one child died and two adults were sickened in the New Orleans area. CNN affiliate WWL reported that the child was 21-month-old Maelan Elizabeth Graffagnini, who fought the infection for weeks at a local hospital.

Georgia is reporting five cases, the most in one state...

 

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Re: US - Investigation ongoing on E. Coli O145 outbreak in six states

Department
Public Health
DHH Identifies Fourth Case of E. Coli Linked to Outbreak

Officials encourage safe food handling and frequent hand washing

Friday, June 8, 2012 | Contact: Bureau of Media & Communications (225) 342-7913

Baton Rouge?The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals (DHH) has identified a fourth case in the E. coli outbreak in Louisiana. The E. coli outbreak recently claimed the life of a child and has now sickened three adults in the Greater New Orleans area.

The four Louisiana cases are E. coli O145, which produces an aggressive toxin and has been linked through DNA fingerprinting to cases in other states.The Louisiana cases occurred in late April and early May 2012.

DHH epidemiologists suspect food may be to blame for the outbreak and are working closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to identify the exact source. "Most people infected with this strain of E. coli will experience some form of gastrointestinal illness with diarrhea," said Dr. Raoult Ratard, Louisiana state epidemiologist. "People more seriously affected by the disease may have blood in their stool, fever and become extremely fatigued. If you suspect you are infected, see your doctor immediately," said Dr. Ratard.

A person may become infected with E. coli by ingesting the bacteria. This usually occurs when an individual eats food contaminated with E. coli, but can also be transmitted person-to-person. Food-borne illnesses are often discounted by the general public as benign, but this is a reminder that they can have extremely serious consequences. "The best prevention is always to handle and prepare food in a manner that minimizes the presence of harmful germs," said Dr. Ratard.


DHH encourages everyone to take the following precautions to reduce the risk of becoming infected:

• Avoid eating high-risk foods, especially undercooked ground beef, unpasteurized milk or juice and soft cheeses made from unpasteurized milk.
• Make sure you wash carefully vegetables that will be consumed raw as raw produce can also become contaminated in the fields where they grow.
• Use a food thermometer to make sure that meats have reached a safe internal temperature, and be certain that meats are cooked thoroughly.
• Wash hands before preparing food, after using bathrooms or diapering infants, before eating, and after contact with domestic animals, their food or treats, or their living environment.
• Make sure, through hand-washing, to avoid carrying germs from raw meat products to food that will be consumed raw (produce).

For more information on how you and your family can eat safely, visit DHH's Eat Safe Louisiana website at http://www.eatsafe.la.gov/.

The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals strives to protect and promote health statewide and to ensure access to medical, preventive and rehabilitative services for all state citizens. To learn more about DHH, visit http://www.dhh.louisiana.gov. For up-to-date health information, news and emergency updates, follow DHH's blog, Twitter account and Facebook.

http://new.dhh.louisiana.gov/index.cfm/newsroom/detail/2509

 

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Re: US - Investigation ongoing on E. Coli O145 outbreak in six states

Multistate Outbreak of Shiga Toxin-producing Escherichia coli O145 Infections

Posted June 10, 2012 01:00 AM ET

At a Glance:

• Case Count: 14
• States: 6
• Deaths: 1
• Hospitalizations: 3<!--
• Recall: [FILL IN] -->

More Information:

• <!--Recall &-->Advice to Consumers
• Signs & Symptoms
• Key Resources

Latest Case Count Map

Click map to view <!--updated & previous -->case count map.

Latest Epi Curve

Click graph to view <!--updated & previous -->epi curve graph.

Highlights

• Read the Advice to Consumers ?
• A total of 14 persons infected with the outbreak strain of STEC O145 infection have been identified in 6 states.
  • The number of ill persons identified in each state is as follows: Alabama (2), California (1), Florida (1), Georgia (5), Louisiana (4), and Tennessee (1).
  • Three ill persons have been hospitalized; one death has been reported in Louisiana.
• Based on interviews conducted to date, a source for these infections has not been identified. If a specific source is identified, public health officials will advise the public and take steps to prevent additional illnesses.
• Dates for patients' onset of illness range from April 15 to May 12, 2012. It has been approximately 4 weeks since the last illness onset among reported cases. Although this indicates that this outbreak could be over, CDC continues to work with state public health officials to identify additional cases and the source of these STEC O145 infections.

Initial Announcement

June 10, 2012

CDC is collaborating with public health officials in multiple states to investigate a multistate outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli serogroup O145 (STEC O145) infections. Public health investigators are using DNA "fingerprints" of E. coli bacteria obtained through diagnostic testing with pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, or PFGE, to identify cases of illness that may be part of this outbreak. They are using data from PulseNet, the national subtyping network made up of state and local public health laboratories and federal food regulatory laboratories that performs molecular surveillance of foodborne infections.
The type of bacteria responsible for this outbreak is among those referred to as Shiga toxin-producing E. coli or STEC. STEC bacteria are grouped by serogroups (e.g., O157 or O145). The STEC serogroup found most commonly in U.S. patients is E. coli O157. Other E. coli serogroups in the STEC group, including O145, are sometimes called "non-O157 STECs." Some types of STEC frequently cause severe disease, including bloody diarrhea and hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) which is a type of kidney failure. Currently, there are limited public health surveillance data on the occurrence of non-O157 STECs, including STEC O145; many STEC O145 infections may go undiagnosed or unreported. Compared with STEC O157 infections, identification of non-O157 STEC infections is more complex. First, clinical laboratories must test stool samples for the presence of Shiga toxins. Then, the positive samples must be sent to public health laboratories to look for non-O157 STEC. Clinical laboratories typically cannot identify non-O157 STEC. The STEC O145 PFGE pattern in this outbreak has not been seen in PulseNet before.

Case Count

A total of 14 persons infected with the outbreak strain of STEC O145 infection have been identified in 6 states: Alabama (2), California (1), Florida (1), Georgia (5), Louisiana (4), and Tennessee (1). Among persons for whom information is available, illness onset dates range from April 15, 2012 to May 12, 2012. The time from the beginning of a patient?s illness to the confirmation that he or she was part of an outbreak is typically about 2-3 weeks. Please see the E. coli Outbreak Investigations: Timeline for Reporting Cases for more details. Ill persons range in age from 1 year to 79 years old, with a median age of 33 years old; 79% are female. Three ill persons have been hospitalized; one death has been reported in Louisiana.
Top of Page

Initial Investigation Information

CDC initiated an investigation into this cluster of illnesses on May 14, 2012. At that time, six ill persons had been reported to CDC PulseNet from two states during May 3, 2012 to May 9, 2012. Although the most recent report of an illness to CDC was on June 4, 2012, their onset of illness occurred before May 10, 2012 and was during same period as other ill persons in this outbreak.
It has been approximately 4 weeks since the last illness onset among reported cases. Although this indicates that the outbreak could be over, CDC continues to work with state public health officials to identify additional cases and the source of these STEC O145 infections.
State public health officials have been interviewing ill persons to obtain information regarding foods they might have eaten and other exposures in the week before illness. Based on interviews of 10 ill persons to date, a source for these infections has not been identified.

Initial Laboratory Testing Information

Preliminary results indicate that this strain of E. coli produces Shiga toxin type 2 and is susceptible to all antibiotics tested.

http://www.cdc.gov/ecoli/2012/O145-06-12/index.html

 

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Re: US - Investigation ongoing on E. Coli O145 outbreak in six states

Multistate Outbreak of Shiga Toxin-producing Escherichia coli O145 Infections

Posted June 22, 2012 11:45 AM ET

At a Glance:

• Case Count: 15
• States: 6
• Deaths: 1
• Hospitalizations: 4<!--
• Recall: [FILL IN] -->

More Information:

• <!--Recall &-->Advice to Consumers
• Signs & Symptoms
• Key Resources

Latest Case Count Map


Click map to view updated & previous case count maps.

Latest Epi Curve


Click graph to view updated & previous epi curve graphs.

Highlights

• Read the Advice to Consumers ?
• A total of 15 persons infected with the outbreak strain of STEC O145 infection have been identified in 6 states.
  • The number of ill persons identified in each state is as follows: Alabama (2), California (1), Florida (1), Georgia (5), Louisiana (5), and Tennessee (1).
  • Four ill persons have been hospitalized. One death has been reported in Louisiana.
• Based on interviews conducted to date, a source for these infections has not been identified. If a specific source is identified, public health officials will advise the public and take steps to prevent additional illnesses.
• Dates for patients' onset of illness range from April 15, 2012 to May 12, 2012. It has been approximately 6 weeks since the last illness onset among reported cases. Although this indicates that this outbreak could be over, CDC continues to work with state public health officials to identify additional cases and the source of these STEC O145 infections.

June 22, 2012

Case Count Update

A total of 15 persons infected with the outbreak strain of STEC O145 infection have been identified in 6 states: Alabama (2), California (1), Florida (1), Georgia (5), Louisiana (5), and Tennessee (1). Since the last update one new ill person has been identified in Louisiana with a reported illness onset of April 21, 2012. This is during the same time period as other ill persons in this outbreak.

Among persons for whom information is available, illness onset dates range from April 15, 2012 to May 12, 2012. Ill persons range in age from 1 year to 79 years old, with a median age of 31 years old; 73% are female. Four ill persons have been hospitalized. One death has been reported in Louisiana.

Illnesses that occurred after May 5, 2012 might not yet be reported due to the time it takes between when a person becomes ill and when the illness is reported.

It has been approximately 6 weeks since the last illness onset among reported cases. Although this indicates that the outbreak could be over, CDC continues to work with state public health officials to identify additional cases and the source of these STEC O145 infections.
State public health officials have been interviewing ill persons to obtain information regarding foods they might have eaten and other exposures in the week before illness. Based on interviews of 12 ill persons to date, a source for these infections has not been identified.

More...
http://www.cdc.gov/ecoli/2012/O145-06-12/index.html