Taco John's E. coli Outbreak Sickens 50 in Iowa
Udate of Taco John's E. coli outbreak in Iowa (from an Iowa Department of Public Health press release):
Testing conducted by the public health labs of Iowa and Minnesota has confirmed that the outbreaks of shiga-toxin producing E. coli 0157 genetically match, meaning the two outbreaks are related.
That same testing also shows the Midwest outbreak IS NOT linked to any other outbreak occurring in the United States at this time.
Interviews with victims of the Midwest outbreak has provided enough information that health officials can say that lettuce has been epidemiologically-indicated as the source of the outbreak, although testing of food items is still underway.
The investigation into this outbreak, which has sickened at least 50 in Iowa and 27 in Minnesota is still ongoing and involves the two state health departments, their public health labs (University of Iowa Hygienic Lab in Iowa), Black Hawk County in Iowa, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta and the Food and Drug Administration in Washington D.C. Read information on Taco John's E. coli lawsuits and Minnesota wrongful death.