CDC investigates E. coli outbreak in several states
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration are investigating an outbreak of toxin-producing E. coli O103 infections.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration are investigating an outbreak of toxin-producing E. coli O103 infections. As of April 9, 96 people infected with the outbreak strain of E. coli O103 have been reported from five states (Georgia, Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee, and Virginia). Eleven people have been hospitalized. No deaths and no cases of hemolytic uremic syndrome have been reported. Illnesses started on dates from March 2 to March 26.
This investigation is still ongoing, and a specific food item, grocery store, or restaurant chain has not been identified as the source of infections. State and local public health officials are interviewing ill people to determine what they ate and other exposures in the week before their illness started. Federal and state regulatory officials use that information to guide efforts to identify a contaminated food and trace it to its source.