• 156 people infected with the outbreak strain of E. coli O103 have been reported from 10 states – Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, Mississippi, Georgia and Florida.
• After, unopened, intact ground beef collected as part of the ongoing investigation from a Tennessee restaurant location, where multiple case-patients reported dining, tested positive for E. coli O103, ground beef recalled.

FSIS reported K2D Foods, doing business as (DBA) Colorado Premium Foods, a Carrolton, Ga. establishment, is recalling approximately 113,424 pounds of raw ground beef products that may be contaminated with E. coli O103, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.  This is a Class I Recall.

The raw ground beef items were produced on March 26, March 29, April 2, April 5, April 10, and April 12, 2019.  The following products are subject to recall:

• Two 24-lb. vacuum-packed packages in cardboard boxes containing raw “GROUND BEEF PUCK” with “Use Thru” dates of 4/14/19, 4/17/19, 4/20/19, 4/23/19, 4/28/19, and 4/30/19.

The products subject to recall bear establishment number “EST. 51308” inside the USDA mark of inspection on the boxes. These items were shipped to distributors in Ft. Orange, Fla. and Norcross, Ga. for further distribution to restaurants.

FSIS and its public health partners, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Tennessee Department of Health, have been investigating an outbreak of E. coli O103. Unopened, intact ground beef collected as part of the ongoing investigation from a restaurant location, where multiple case-patients reported dining, tested positive for E. coli O103. At this time, there is no definitive link between this positive product and the ongoing E. coli O103 outbreak. Further traceback and product analysis continues to determine if the recalled products are related to the E. coli O103 outbreak.

According to the CDC, a total of 156 people infected with the outbreak strain of E. coli O103 have been reported from 10 states – Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, Mississippi, Georgia and Florida.

“It shows the dedication of the staffs of FSIS, CDC and the many state agencies involved in this investigation, that this recall was announce late tonight,” said William Marler, food safety attorney and publisher of Food Safety News.  “Given the numbers of people sickened with E. coli O103 and the number of states involved, I expect the scope of the recall to expand in the coming hours.  However, we are lucky that the severity of the illnesses are less than what we would see with more virulent stains of other non-O157 STEC and STEC O157:H7,” added Marler.

Many clinical laboratories do not test for non-O157 STEC, such as O103 because it is harder to identify than STEC O157:H7. People can become ill from STECs 2–8 days (average of 3–4 days) after exposure to the organism.

Most people infected with STEC O103 develop diarrhea (often bloody) and vomiting. Some illnesses last longer and can be more severe. Infection is usually diagnosed by testing of a stool sample. Vigorous rehydration and other supportive care is the usual treatment; antibiotic treatment is generally not recommended. Most people recover within a week, but, rarely, some develop a more severe infection. Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a type of kidney failure, is uncommon with STEC O103 infection. HUS can occur in people of any age but is most common in children under 5 years old, older adults and persons with weakened immune systems. It is marked by easy bruising, pallor and decreased urine output. Persons who experience these symptoms should seek emergency medical care immediately.

FSIS is concerned that some product may be in refrigerators or freezers of restaurants. Restaurants that have purchased these products are urged not to serve them.

E. coli O103, is one of the strains referred to as the “Big Six.” The six have been linked to a growing number of foodborne illnesses, prompting the U.S. Department of Agriculture to add themas an adulterant and to their test regimen in 2012. Routine verification testing for the presence of STEC serogroups O26, O45, O103, O111, O121 and O145 is required in raw beef manufacturing trimmings and other raw ground beef components produced domestically and imported.

Outbreaks of E. coli O103 are rare.  From the CDC NORS dataset:

https://wwwn.cdc.gov/norsdashboard/