The final summary is in for this year’s installment of our semi–annual late-fall/early-winter E. coli O157 leafy greens outbreak. The CDC now counts 33 ill people in 5 northeastern states (CT, VA, PA, MA, and NY). Two of those were confirmed to have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome. 26 of the victims were residents of New York, where the product was sold by Wegman’s stores.
The CDC has also updated its assessment of what product actually caused this outbreak. Early statistical analysis suggested a link to State Garden’s Spinach and Spring Mix. In the end–the CDC must have interviewed a few Marler Clark clients–the CDC broadened its description of the implicated product to include “prepacked leafy greens produced by State Garden:”
Fifteen (48%) of 31 ill persons for whom information was available reported eating Wegmans brand Organic Spinach and Spring Mix blend in the week before becoming ill. In total, 25 (81%) of 31 ill persons for whom information was available reported eating a variety of different brands of pre-packaged leafy greens produced by State Garden.
Here are some of the more memorable fall E. coli outbreaks linked to leafy greens: