Foodborne and Diarrheal Diseases Branch
Multistate Outbreak of E. coli O157 Infections,
November-December
2006
Updated December 11, 2006
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NOTE: This document is provided for historical purposes. The content of this document has not been revised since its original release and therefore may no longer be up to date.
As of 12 PM (ET) December 11, 2006, Monday, 64 persons with illness associated with the Taco Bell restaurant outbreak have been reported to CDC from 5 states: New Jersey (28), New York (22), Pennsylvania (11), Delaware (2), and South Carolina (1). States with Taco Bell restaurants where persons confirmed to have the outbreak strain have eaten are New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. (The patient from South Carolina ate at a Taco Bell restaurant in Pennsylvania.) Other cases of illness are under investigation by state public health officials. No specific food has been implicated yet.
Among these 64 ill persons, 50 (82%) were hospitalized and 8 (13%) developed a type of kidney failure called hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS). Illness onset dates have ranged from November 20 to December 2.
Cases in 38 of the 64 patients are confirmed, meaning that the patients’ E. coli O157 strains have the outbreak “DNA fingerprint.” E. coli O157 strains are routinely “DNA fingerprinted” at public health laboratories in all states as part of PulseNet (the network of public health laboratories that sub-type bacteria). E. coli O157 strains from other cases are being tested by PulseNet. As a result of testing by PulseNet, cases with the outbreak strain “fingerprint” pattern are being re-classified as confirmed cases, and cases with an unrelated “fingerprint” pattern are being dropped from the outbreak case count.
Map of states where persons with illness live
CDC is working with state and local health officials, FDA, USDA, and the fast food chain to investigate the outbreak and to help take action to protect the public. Public health officials are conducting investigations to determine the responsible food. Public health laboratories are testing food samples from Taco Bell restaurants. A sample of chopped white onions collected on December 4 from an open bin in a Taco Bell restaurant in Nassau County, New York tested positive for E. coli O157:H7. This strain has a “DNA fingerprint” pattern that is different from that of the outbreak strain; the pattern of the chopped onion strain has not been seen before in the PulseNet database. Samples of green onions obtained by the restaurant chain tested negative for E. coli O157; the initial report of a preliminary positive on these samples by a laboratory hired by the restaurant chain was not confirmed. At this time, no other food item has a definite or preliminary test indicating the presence of E. coli O157. Investigation into the responsible food includes an ongoing study among Taco Bell restaurant patrons in which information about food items consumed is being obtained and analyzed.
Map of states with Taco Bells where persons with confirmed cases have eaten
E. coli O157 causes diarrhea that is often bloody and accompanied by severe abdominal cramps, but fever is typically absent or mild. Persons who have developed such symptoms after eating at a Taco Bell restaurant in an affected state are advised to consult a physician and to inform their local health department.
For more information on E. coli infection, please refer to the following website:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/escherichiacoli_g.htm.
Page last modified December 11, 2006
Content source: National Center for Infectious Diseases