Pritzker Olsen Attorneys

E coli O157:H7

E coli O157:H7 Outbreak Update

Vallley Meat Company E coliValley Meat Beef Recall
Prompted by an outbreak of E coli O157:H7, Valley Meat Company, a Modesto, California establishment, recalled approximately one million pounds of frozen ground beef patties and bulk ground beef products. Read about a Valley Meat lawsuit. See a video of Attorney Fred Pritzker discussing the Valley Meat beef E coli recall: Valley Meat Co Beef Patties Recall Video.

What is E coli O157:H7?


Among the many strains of E coli bacteria, O157:H7 is the one that is responsible for the majority of foodborne illnesses in the United States.1. The strain was first identified in 1982 when it was traced to illnesses that were caused by undercooked hamburgers from a fast-food restaurant chain.2

E coli O157:H7 originates from the intestines of cattle and other animals.3 The animals that harbor E coli O157:H7 often shed the bacteria in their manure, which can spread the organism to the environment where it can survive for prolonged periods. Manure used as fertilizer can contaminate produce and water.4 The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the state of California recently reported that animal encroachment onto growing fields can spread the bacteria to produce.5 The pathogen can also contaminate meat during the slaughtering process.

Though most cases of E coli O157:H7 food poisoning result from contaminated ground beef, other outbreaks have been linked to spinach, lettuce, pepperoni pizza, unpasteurized apple and orange juice and milk, alfalfa sprouts, and even water.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 73,000 E. coli O157:H7 infections occur in the United States each year, along with 2,100 illnesses that are serious enough to require hospitalization.6

This bacterial strain produces a Shiga toxin that produces ulcers in the colon that can bleed (hemorrhagic colitis), producing the bloody diarrhea that patients often experience when they have E. coli O157:H7 infections. When Shiga toxin spreads throughout the body it can cause hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a life-threatening condition that can lead to any of the following:

  • Hemolytic anemia and associated blood complications
  • Abnormal kidney function
  • Kidney failure (renal failure) that may require a kidney transplant (renal transplant) - illness accompanying kidney failure is called uremia (develops when urea and other waste products are retained in the blood)
  • Gall stones - probably caused by rapid hemolysis, breaking open of red blood cells and the release of hemoglobin
  • Elevated pancreatic enzyme levels that could lead to insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and or pancreatitis
  • Central Nervous System (CNS) disturbances such as irritablilty, behavior changes, disorientation, delerium, hallucinations, dizziness, tremors and several other serious complications listed below
  • Seizures
  • Coma
  • Stroke
  • Encephalopathy
  • Respiratory disease syndrome
  • Convulsions
  • Heart problems, including myocardial infarction, cardio myopathy, cardiogenic shock, congestive heart failure
  • Cortical blindness, caused by damage to the visual area in the brain's occipital cortex
  • Thrombocytopenia (platelet deficiency in the blood)
  • Death

Pritzker Olsen law firm is one of the leading E. coli litigation law firms in the United States. Our lawyers have appeared on national and local news programs discussing food safety and litigation against food manufacturers, restaurants and others. In two of our recent cases, the firm represented the families of women who died from TTP-HUS. (See information on CBS affiliate interview of Fred Pritzker on E. coli and the wrongful death of a victim of the E. coli outbreak linked to spinach.) To contact the firm, please call toll-free at 1-888-377-8900 or submit the firm's online consultation form.

References:
1. Frenzen PD, Drake A, Angulo FJ, et al. Economic cost of illness due to Escherichia coli O157 infections in the United States. J Food Prot 2005;68(12):2623-30 [Abstract]
2. Riley LW, Remis RS, Helgerson SD, et al. Hemorrhagic colitis associated with a rare Escherichia coli serotype. N Engl J Med 1983;308(12):681-5 [Abstract]
3. Cole D, Drum DJ, Stallknecht DE, et al. Free-living Canada geese and antimicrobial resistance. Emerg Infect Dis 2005;11(6):935-8 [Full text]
4. AAP. Escherichia coli diarrhea. In: Pickering LK, ed. Red Book: 2003 Report of the Committee on Infectious Diseases. Ed 26. Elk Grove Village, IL: American Academy of Pediatrics, 200
5. FDA. Investigation of an Escherichia coli O157:H7 outbreak associated with Dole pre-packaged spinach. Mar 21, 2007 [Full text]
6. CDC. Technical fact sheet on E. coli O157:H7 [Full text]

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Non-O157 E. coli (Non-O157 STEC)

Non-O157 E. coli can cause serious injury and death, and yet ground beef contaminated with these strains of E. coli are not considered adulterated under federal law. The six most common strains of non-O157 E. coli include E. coli O26, E. coli O45, E. coli O103, E. coli O111, E. coli O121 and E. coli O145.

 

 

Steak E. coli Outbreak

Our E. coli lawyers are investigating cases of E. coli O157 that have been linked to steak served at restaurants in California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah and Washington.

 

Fairbank Farms Beef Recall Lawsuit

Fairbank Farms ground beef products have been associated with E. coli cases in California, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Vermont.

 

Petting Zoo Llama E. coli HUS

Our law firm has been retained to represent a 3-year-old child who contracted an E. coli infection after visiting an apple orchard/petting zoo in Minnesota. The child developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS).

 

E. coli Wrongful Death Settlement

We have recently settled a number of E. coli cases involving victims of various E. coli outbreaks, including a wrongful death claim.

 

Recent Foodborne Outbreaks

 

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