Unusual Shiga toxin producing E coli strain sickens 231 in Oklahoma

A specific food source for the outbreak is not yet identified.
A restaurant-related illness outbreak in Oklahoma featuring an uncommon strain of Escherichia coli has expanded to involve at least 231 people, 61 of whom have been hospitalized, Oklahoma health officials announced today.

The sick have been infected with E coli O111, a far less common strain than E coli O157:H7, the serotype typically identified in E coli outbreaks. Both strains can cause the form of kidney failure known as hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which is potentially fatal.

Sixteen of the 61 people hospitalized in the outbreak have received dialysis treatment, including nine children, the Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) said in an update today.

The patients include 185 adults and 43 children; three patients' ages have not yet been learned, officials said. "We still have some individuals who are on dialysis for HUS," Oklahoma State Epidemiologist Dr. Kristy Bradley told CIDRAP News today. She said there has been one death in the outbreak, that of a 26-year-old man. The numbers of patients and hospitalizations are likely to change as the investigation continues, the OSDH said today.

As described by the OSDH, signs and symptoms of the illness have been similar to those of E coli O157:H7: diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, vomiting, and severe abdominal cramps, usually with no or only mild fever. Bradley called the illness "very similar to [those caused by] other enterohemorrhagic E coli strains." Most of the people infected have had diarrhea lasting a couple of days, but were not sick enough to need medical attention. But despite interviewing more than 1,300 people who ate there, health officials have not yet identified a specific food source for the outbreak.
Source: http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/

Aporte: Guillermo Figueroa