New international E. coli outbreak hits 3 U.S. states, 5 Canada provinces

State and federal officials are investigating a new multistate outbreak of  E. coli O157:H7 infections. The outbreak is associated with Fresh Express brand chopped salad kits. People in Canada are also sick.

“Do not eat or sell Fresh Express Sunflower Crisp Chopped Salad Kits with this identifying information: UPC 0 71279 30906 4, beginning with lot code Z, and a best-before date up to and including 07DEC19. This information is printed on the front of the bag in the top right corner,” the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned in a notice posted this evening.

Officials say this is a new outbreak, separate from an ongoing E. coli O157:H7 outbreak traced to romaine lettuce from the Salinas, CA, region. That outbreak has sickened at least 102 people in the U.S. and two in Canada and involves a different strain of E. coli bacteria.

Romaine lettuce is an ingredient in the implicated Fresh Express salad kits, but investigators have not yet determined what ingredient or ingredients in the salad kits could be contaminated.

In the new outbreak, as of today, Dec. 9, a total of eight people have been confirmed infected with the outbreak strain of E. coli O157:H7. They have been reported from three states. Illnesses started on dates ranging from Nov. 5 to Nov. 15. As of Dec. 8, Canadian officials report 16 people confirmed sick in their country. Patients in Canada became sick between Nov. 5 and 22.

In the United States, ill people range in age from 21 to 91, with a median age of 32. Among ill people, 63 percent  are female. Three of the eight ill people have been hospitalized, including one person who developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a type of kidney failure. No deaths have been reported.

Information collected to date indicates that Fresh Express Sunflower Crisp chopped salad kits are a likely source of this outbreak.

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. Of seven ill people with information available, all seven reported eating leafy greens in the week before their illness started. Six ill people reported eating or maybe eating a Fresh Express Sunflower Crisp chopped salad kit.

The investigation is ongoing to determine which ingredient in the salad was contaminated.

Preliminary information indicates that romaine lettuce in the salad kits eaten by some of the sick people likely came from the Salinas growing region. The CDC is concerned that these kits may still be in some homes. Anyone with any of these salad kits in their homes are urged to throw them away.