WASHINGTON -- The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has narrowed its investigation of an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 infections linked to Taco Bell restaurants in Northeastern states by focusing its efforts on finding the sources of shredded lettuce served at the stores.
This new focus is based on the fact that three itemsshredded lettuce, cheddar cheese and cooked ground beefwere implicated in a study conducted by the U.S. Centers of Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) as the items most likely to have been the vehicles of pathogen (disease-causing [image-nocss] agent) transmission in this outbreak. But based on a number of other factors, as well as food processing techniques used for cheese (pasteurization) and ground beef (cooking), lettuce is considered overall to be the single most likely source of the outbreak at this time.
The peak of the outbreak occurred in the last week of November. A total of 71 cases in five statesDelaware, 2 cases; New Jersey, 33 cases; New York, 22 cases; Pennsylvania, 13 cases; and South Carolina, 1 casehave been reported to the CDC. The single case in South Carolina occurred in a person who ate at a Taco Bell in Pennsylvania. The number of new cases has declined substantially.
The information about items likely to have transmitted the pathogen in this outbreak comes from a CDC "case control" study, which involves interviewing ill and well Taco Bell restaurant patrons about what food items they consumed. By comparing foods consumed by ill and well persons, investigators can show statistical links to particular food ingredients. This does not establish that these foods are the causes of the outbreak, but it does give clues as to where further investigation should focus to try to find hard evidence of the cause.
Because of this, FDA investigators are further expediting review of Taco Bell records obtained from the firm in order to trace the distribution channels of the lettuce and identify the farm or farms where the lettuce was grown, as well as all firms and facilities that handled the product between harvest and delivery.
FDA has no indication that lettuce or cheese served at any other restaurant, or lettuce or cheese sold in any other venue, is connected with this outbreak. The agency is aware of the outbreaks of E. coli O157:H7 at Taco John's restaurants in Iowa and Minnesota, and is monitoring these closely in cooperation with state health authorities. Based on available information these outbreaks do not appear at this time to be related to the Taco Bell outbreak.
Click here for CDC updates on the situation.
Click here for Taco Bell's latest press release.
Click here for Taco John's latest press release.
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