Romaine Calm, it’s not just E. coli O157 that is making us sick – Try E. coli O26 and Hamburger – Not

On Aug. 16, 2018, FSIS was notified of an investigation of E. coli O26 illnesses. FSIS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and state public health and agriculture partners determined that raw ground chuck was the probable source of the reported illnesses. The epidemiological investigation identified 18 case-patients, predominantly from Florida, with illness onset dates ranging from July 5 to July 25, 2018. Traceback information indicated that case-patients consumed ground chuck products purchased at various Publix Super Markets that was supplied by a yet-to-be determined source.

2018 Outbreak of E. Coli O26 Linked to Homegrown Restaurants, King County, Washington

• Organism:
• Non-O157 STEC
• Vehicle:
• Chicken pesto sandwich

On May 25, 2018 Public Health Seattle King County (PHSKC) announced an outbreak of E. Coli O26 associated with Homegrown Restaurants. Four cases were reported. Three were laboratory confirmed with a genetically indistinguishable strain of E. Coli …Read More »

2017 E. coli O157:H7 and E. coli O26 outbreak among Marine recruits, California

• Organism:
• coli O157:H7, Non-O157 STEC
• Vehicle:
• beef

In October 2017 an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 and E. coli O26 occurred among recruits at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego and the command’s field training facilities at Edson Range, Camp Pendleton, California. Investigators identified 62 …Read More »

2017 Outbreak of E. coli O26 in Multiple Counties, Colorado

• Organism:
• Non-O157 STEC
• Vehicle:
• Unknown

Six people residing in Adams, Arapahoe, Denver and Douglas counties, Colorado were laboratory confirmed with E. coli O26 between September 1, 2017 and October 15, 2017. One person was hospitalized. No one died. Three out of 6 cases consumed raw spina…Read More »

2015 Outbreak of E. coli O26 Linked to Chipotle Mexican Grill, Washington and Oregon

• Organism:
• Non-O157 STEC
• Vehicle:
• unknown

The CDC, FDA, USDA FSIS and public health officials in several states investigated two outbreaks of E. coli O26 linked to food sold at Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurants. Public health investigators used PulseNet to identify illnesses that were part …Read More »

2013 Multi-state Outbreak of E. coli O26 Suspected to be Caused by Iceberg Lettuce

• Organism:
• Non-O157 STEC
• Vehicle:
• Iceberg lettuce

In the spring of 2013 twenty six cases of E. coli O26 were reported by 13 states: Illinois (6), Minnesota (5), Wisconsin (3), Michigan (2), California (2) and Kentucky, Missouri, Mississippi, New Jersey, new York, Ohio, Washington and West Virginia, …Read More »

2011 Outbreak of E. coli O26 at Jimmy John’s Restaurants Linked to Raw Clover Sprouts

• Organism:
• Non-O157 STEC
• Vehicle:
• Vegetables, Sprouts, Clover Sprouts

On February 15, 2012, the Centers for Disease Control first announced an ongoing investigation into illnesses linked to the consumption of raw clover sprouts consumed at Jimmy John’s Restaurants in several states. The illnesses were caused by E. co…Read More »

Cargill Meat Solutions/BJ’s Wholesale Club Ground Beef 2010

• Organism:
• Non-O157 STEC
• Vehicle:
• Beef, Ground Beef

A recall of ground beef was issued on August 28 when three people developed illnesses caused by rare strain of E. coli O26 after they had eaten the product. The ground beef produced by Cargill Meat Solutions, of Pennsylvania and was distributed to B…Read More »

Thanks for Outbreak Database Dot Com.

And, there is some history to consider:

Last year (2010), the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) was petitioned to declare six additional disease-causing and potentially life-threatening strains of E. coli, those referred to as non-O157 Shiga-toxin producing E. coli (STECs) or more succinctly, “the big six,”  as adulterants.Specifically, those six strains include E. coli O26, O11, O103, O121, O45 and O145. Those strains of the E. coli bacteria were targeted because of their capacity to produce the same deadly Shiga toxins as E. coli O157.

Today, despite much controversy and debate and after many months of waiting, those six dangerous strains of E. coli will now be banned from the nation’s meat supply and take their place with E. coli O157 to be classified as adulterants. Accordingly, it will be illegal for meat packers to sell meat contaminated with those pathogens.

William Neuman of The New York Times explained that in his report:

Under the rule, any meat that is found to contain the Big Six E. coli, in tests by government or industry, will have to be diverted for use in cooked products. The bacteria is killed by heating the meat to 160 degrees.

Previously, in 1994, FSIS declared E. coli O157 to be an adulterant an outbreak linked to tainted hamburger patties sold at Jack in the Box restaurants sickened more than 700 people in four states and led to 171 hospitalizations and four deaths. In 2010, in support of the petition to label “the big six” as adulterants, Bill Marler wrote: “the people of this nation do not deserve another Jack in the Box-sized catastrophe as a pre-requisite for currently needed agency action.”

According to a news story by MSNBC health reporter JoNel Aleccia:

The move was hailed as a long-sought victory by food safety advocates, who said they wondered why it took so long to require testing for bacteria that last year collectively caused more infections in the U.S. than E. coli 0157.

“I think what consumers can expect is less contaminated product making it into commerce,” said Nancy Donley, president of the agency STOP Foodborne Illness. “It’s fantastic news.”

Bill Marler, seasoned attorney and food safety advocate, also applauded the move by FSIS as a step in the right direction. In an interview with Aleccia, Marler said, “I am more than pleased. It’s a big recognition that there are other pathogens out there that cause human disease.”

As Aleccia noted in her report:

In 2010, for the first time, those rarer strains of E. coli were responsible for more infections in the U.S. than E. coli O157, according to a June study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The non-STECs caused 451 confirmed infections last year, including 69 people who were hospitalized and one death. E. coli O157 caused 442 infections, 184 hospitalizations and two deaths.

However, CDC officials say many infections are never detected. The agency estimates that overall, as many as 265,000 STEC infections occur each year in the United States, with the non-0157 strains causing up to 113,000 illnesses and 300 hospitalizations annually.

Today’s decision will hopefully serve to better protect the public from foodborne illness. As Elisabeth Hagen, the head of food safety for the Department of Agriculture, told William Neuman, “This is one of the biggest steps forward in the protection of the beef supply in some time.” She added, “We’re doing this to prevent illness and to save lives.”