Update: Deer Determined As Cause Of E. Coli Outbreak In Strawberries
August 10, 2011 Tweethttp://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Officials at the Oregon Public Health Division determined that deer feces was the source of the E. coli in strawberries that caused 15 people to get sick. One person has died.
“An Oregon Public Health Communicable Disease team has been investigating the outbreak for several weeks,” said Katrina Hedberg, M.D., M.P.H., Oregon Public Health state epidemiologist in a press release dated August 17. “There were six samples that positively matched the E. coli that was found in the people who were infected.”
Strawberries from the affected fields were produced last month by Jaquith Strawberry Farm, which is located in Newberg. At this time, the Oregon Department of Agriculture believes it has identified those operators and locations that possibly sold Jaquith strawberries.
Jaquith finished its strawberry season in late July, and its strawberries are no longer on the market. Jaquith sold its strawberries to buyers who then resold them at roadside stands, farm stands and farmers’ markets. Jaquith has recalled its products and is cooperating fully with the investigation.
Health officials continue to urge people who purchased strawberries grown on this farm to throw them out. Strawberries that have been frozen or made into uncooked jam are of particular concern. Cooking kills E. coli O157:H7 bacteria.
“If you have any strawberries from this producer – frozen, in uncooked jam or any uncooked form – throw them out. People who have eaten the strawberries but remain well need take no action,” said Hedberg. The incubation period for E. coli O157:H7 is typically two to seven days.
None of the following have been implicated in this outbreak:
- Berries other than strawberries;
- Strawberries sold since Aug. 1;
- Strawberries sold in supermarkets;
- Strawberries picked at Jaquith Strawberry Farm’s U-pick field;
- Strawberries grown in southwest Washington state.
People sickened include residents of Washington, Clatsop, and Multnomah counties in Oregon. Of the confirmed cases, seven have been hospitalized, and one elderly woman in Washington County died from kidney failure associated with E. coli infection.
For more information on food safety and traceback, go to www.growingproduce.com/foodsafety.
Source: News release from Oregon Public Health Division, www.oregon.gov/OHA
Subscribe Today For
