The well being division mentioned there have been a complete of 115 instances, together with 13 hospitalizations.
ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — The St. Louis County Department of Public Health introduced Tuesday that it’s finalizing its investigation into an E. coli outbreak linked to a number of occasions catered by Andre’s Banquets and Catering.
According to the well being division, there have been a complete of 115 instances, together with 13 hospitalizations. Two folks stay hospitalized and three folks have been recognized with Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome, or HUS, a uncommon however severe illness that may happen as a complication of an E. coli an infection.
Genetic testing confirmed 25 instances linked to Andre’s via Whole Genome Sequencing, the well being division mentioned in a press launch. Additional instances with matching WGS profiles have been reported in a number of states, together with Kansas, Illinois, North Dakota, South Dakota, Ohio and Indiana.
The well being division mentioned the genetic knowledge and meals histories recommend “leafy greens” as an publicity issue and have “persistently emerged as a key issue” throughout all states.
St. Louis County Health Department Senior Epidemiologist Amanda Brzozowski mentioned they’re nonetheless investigating precisely the place the outbreak started.
“Nationally, these different states, they didn’t attend these identical occasions. So that does recommend that it may very well be a meals product, however we nonetheless do not know if it is on the farm, if it is storing, the processing, the distribution. And we additionally do not know why our assault charge right here in St. Louis was a lot increased than it’s elsewhere,” Brzozowski mentioned.
On Nov. 22, assessments run by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services detected no traces of E. coli in an unopened bundle of iceberg lettuce collected at Andre’s. The well being division mentioned that “a destructive take a look at consequence for the lettuce doesn’t conclusively rule out the salad because the supply of the E. Coli outbreak.”
Attorney Bill Marler is representing a few dozen individuals who obtained sick. He mentioned he is seen in earlier instances the contamination begins within the fields.
“They all hyperlink these items again to frankly, cattle, and it is cattle feces. It’s close to the place they’re rising the lettuce, too near them,” Marler mentioned.
Jory Lange is one other legal professional representing a number of affected households.
“This has actually wrecked folks’s lives. Some folks have had acute kidney failure, HUS, which E. coli could cause, can result in lifelong problems and issues. It’s actually an enormous deal and it is essential for folks to know that they are entitled to compensation for what they’ve gone via,” Lange mentioned.
Neither the state nor county well being division have cleared Andre’s of E. coli. Health officers mentioned they nonetheless consider the outbreak got here from Andre’s salad.
“The depth of this investigation displays the dedication of our workforce and the group to uncovering important particulars and defending public well being,” mentioned Dr. Kanika Cunningham, Director of the Saint Louis County Department of Public Health. “With 25 instances tied to at least one particular enterprise and no vital improve in new instances anticipated, we’re assured that we’re nearing the conclusion of this outbreak investigation. We are immensely grateful for the cooperation of affected people and households, significantly those that participated in surveys. This knowledge has been important to our progress and confidence in these findings.”
The occasions below investigation embody two Rockwood High School band occasions, two funerals, and a veterans occasion, all catered by Andre’s Banquets and Catering between Nov. 6-9.
Event-specific surveys from the Rockwood School District Veterans Day Event and band banquet have supplied helpful knowledge, the discharge mentioned.
In a press release, a spokesperson for Andre’s once more denied it was the supply of the native outbreak:
“Two weeks in the past, state investigators reported lettuce taken from our facility examined destructive for E Coli. Nearly a month after its investigation started, St Louis County well being officers are nonetheless working to seek out the reason for our native outbreak. Today, they confirmed genetic sequencing of native instances has now related the outbreak with instances in at the least six different states. We have mentioned all alongside that it was unfair to call Andre’s earlier than the lettuce was examined and earlier than the investigation was full. We stay up for St Louis County ending its work and discovering the supply of our native outbreak.”
At least four lawsuits have been filed towards Andre’s in connection to the outbreak.
The well being division didn’t give an actual day when the investigation could be full.
