Tennessee E. coli Cases Linked to Cargill Hamburgers
3 E. coli cases in Tennessee have been linked to Cargill hamburger patties sold at Sam’s Club. According to a story on KnoxNews:
Two Knox County children, John and Michaela McDonald, also are being treated at UT Medical Center for E. coli-related illnesses. In a news release late Monday night from the Knox County Health Department, the McDonald E. coli cases “have been positively linked to the ground beef recall.”
The family has said they believed the children contracted the illness from Cargill-brand hamburger patties purchased at Sam’s Club before a recent recall. They were not aware of the recall until after the children became ill.
The McDonald children and a Knox County 14-year-old who has recovered from E. coli with the same “DNA fingerprint,” said Dr. Tim Jones, state deputy epidemiologist.
The E. coli outbreak linked to Cargill hamburgers purchased from Sam’s Club now has confirmed victims in Minnesota, North Carolina, Tennessee and Wisconsin, and E. coli cases in other states are being investigated. In response to this outbreak, Cargill recalled about 845,000 pounds of hamburger patties.