A strain of E. coli lurking in lettuce has sickened 89 people across 15 states and killed one, but the FDA is being accused of a cover-up.
The outbreak appears to have begun in St. Louis, Missouri, when a group of high school students at their annual marching band banquet ate salads served by a local catering company and were soon doubled over in pain and hospitalized.
Instances of severe illness requiring hospitalization were not isolated to Missouri — miles away in Indiana, a nine-year-old was placed on dialysis for two weeks when an E. coli infection caused life-threatening kidney damage.
There were dozens of cases like theirs, and possibly more, given that not everyone who fell ill sought medical attention.
But victims and their families still don’t know who to blame. The FDA redacted the names of the companies that processed and grew the lettuce in an official response to a public records request.
E. Coli is a bacterium that causes a range of upsetting and potentially life-threatening gastrointestinal distress, including watery and sometimes bloody diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, stomach pains, low fever, and fatigue. In some instances, it can destroy blood vessels in the kidneys, leading to kidney failure.
Leafy greens, lettuce, and other vegetables are among the foods that pose a risk due to E. coli contamination.
Romaine lettuce and bagged salads are responsible for the most deaths, according to a Consumer Reports analysis of food recalls over the past six years.
Colton George, 10, was placed on dialysis for two weeks when an E. coli infection caused life-threatening kidney damage
Families of victims have filed lawsuits against Taylor Farms, the grower behind the slivered onions sold on McDonald’s hamburgers that were found to harbor E. coli.
Taylor Farms, though, denies its lettuce was the culprit, and the FDA will not confirm or deny this.
Colton George, who was kept on dialysis for two weeks, still does not know for sure how he got sick, but his parents, Amber and Christopher, who have sued Taylor Farms, are sure it was something he ate.
His symptoms were nearly identical to those suffered by the boys in Missouri around the same time and with the same diagnosis – infections caused by the dangerous E. coli 0157:H7 strain.
Treating infection caused by this strain is difficult because antibiotics, counterintuitively, can worsen a patient’s condition.
Dr Nicole Iovine, chief hospital epidemiologist at the University of Florida, told Contagion Live: ‘If you give a person antibiotics, the bacteria can actually sense the presence of the antibiotics.
‘It takes it as a danger signal, and the bacteria responds by revving up production of that toxin to really high levels.’
Genetic sequencing of Colton’s infection and those of the boys in Missouri revealed this particular strain to be behind the infections.
Of the nearly 90 infections, more than a third were hospitalized and seven developed kidney failure.
And while genetic sequencing shed light on the extent of the outbreaks, local health officials tallied many more cases they are confident were caused by E. coli.
After spending weeks in the hospital and celebrating his 10th birthday while receiving treatment, he was discharged on January 5
Colton still does not know for sure how he got sick, but his parents, Amber and Christopher, who have sued Taylor Farms, are sure it was something he ate
They couldn’t pinpoint the exact source, but parents believe the culprit to be Taylor Farms.
‘We don’t believe Taylor Farms was the source of the referenced recent E. coli outbreaks, based on information collected during thorough third-party investigations and robust food safety controls,’ the company told NBC News.
Some E. coli cases can occur when produce becomes contaminated with animal waste while still growing in the fields.
This can occur due to runoff from livestock farms, poorly designed irrigation systems, or extreme weather events such as sudden flooding that spreads contaminated water.
When asked if Taylor Farms was behind the outbreak, the FDA, meanwhile, said it was restricted by law from sharing ‘confidential commercial information.’
The agency told NBC News: ‘The FDA names firms when there is enough evidence linking an outbreak to a firm and there is actionable advice for consumers, as long as naming the firm is not legally prohibited.
‘By the time investigators had confirmed the likely source, the outbreak had already ended and there was no actionable advice for consumers.’
The agency’s withholding of the source has outraged parents who argue that people need to know if companies with a history of recalls or malpractice produced the food they have purchased.
Romaine lettuce and bagged salads are responsible for the most E. coli deaths, according to a Consumer Reports analysis of food recalls over the past six years.
Frank Yiannas, the former deputy commissioner of food policy and response at the agency, said: ‘It is disturbing that FDA hasn’t said anything more public or identified the name of a grower or processor.’
It wasn’t until families sued and lawyers made public records requests that the full scope of the outbreak was revealed.
The case count in December stood at 69, which is considerably lower than the 89 cases reported through public filings.
‘It’s not fair for them to get off the hook,’ Amber George said. ‘People are still going out and buying their product every day and have no idea what happened.’
Colton, who turned 10 in the hospital, is back to playing basketball and living his childhood, but still deals with chronic stomach pain and fatigue.
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