Shigella Lawyer & Attorney : Marler Clark : Shigella Blog

On Saturday, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency warned consumers not to eat baby carrots produced by the Los Angeles Salad Company because the baby carrots had been identified as the source of a Shigella outbreak.  According to the CFIA warning:

The affected product, Los Angeles Salad Company Genuine Sweet Baby Carrots, is labelled as product of Mexico and imported by Los Angeles Salad Company. It is sold in 672 g/1.5 lb plastic bags bearing ITM 50325, UPC 8 31129 00137 7 and Sell By dates up to and including 8 /13 /07.

This product was sold in Costco stores in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Quebec and Newfoundland.

There have been four reported illnesses associated with the consumption of this product.

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Pasadena Health Department investigators continue to work to determine the source of a Shigella outbreak that was traced to a restaurant earlier this month.  Yesterday's Arcadia  Weekly reported on the outbreak.

Pasadena Public Health Department's ongoing shigella outbreak investigation, in coordination with Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, has identified 44 confirmed or suspected cases linked to the [restaurant] in Pasadena.

Thirteen of the cases have been verified by laboratory testing; the samples are undergoing additional testing to determine if the strain is related to any other outbreaks in the U.S. Additional reported cases are awaiting confirmation and are under investigation.

On Aug. 2 Pasadena Public Health Department narrowed down the site of the outbreak to customers who ate at the [restaurant] in Pasadena between July 22 and July 25.

Shigella is a bacterium that can cause sudden and severe diarrhea (gastroenteritis) in humans. Shigellosis is the name of the disease that Shigella causes. The illness is also known as “bacillary dysentery.” Shigella bacteria can infect the intestinal tract after the ingestion of relatively few organisms. This is why shigellosis is the most communicable of the bacterial-induced diarrheas.

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The Knoxnews Web site posted a recent article on the ten largest foodborne illness outbreaks reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 2000 to 2004. Among the outbreaks were two Shigella outbreaks:

An outbreak of the Shigella sonnei bacteria, usually spread through human feces, infected 964 people in seven West Texas counties during a four-month period in 2003. More than 70 percent of the victims were children under 12. The outbreak began as a food-borne illness, but also spread through person-to-person contact.

An 886-person outbreak of the Shigella flexneri bacteria began at the Shish Kabob Snack Bar in Port Washington, N.Y., and spread to four other restaurants in May 2001. Investigators concluded that an infected worker at a produce-distribution plant had contaminated a shipment of bruised tomatoes."

Also according to the article, a total of 7,840 adults and children got sick or died after contracting a foodborne illness. You can read about more foodborne illness outbreaks that were rported at the Knox News site here.

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According to a story in the Billings Gazette, at least 12 people have been hospitalized with Shigella infections since an outbreak began in Wyoming a few months ago. "The number of people coming down with shigellosis, a gastrointestinal infection caused by bacteria, has grown to at least 35 as of Monday, according to the Indian Health Service and the Wyoming Department of Health," the Gazette reported.

A Wyoming Department of Health spokesperson said that the majority of ill people are school-aged children.

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The Billings Gazette is reporting that at least 17 people have become ill with Shigellosis in Fremont County, Wyoming. Health officials have not determined the source of the outbreak, but are concerned that infected individuals are now passing the infection from person to person.

"'It doesn't appear that there's any large common source of food or water' causing the infections, said Dr. Tracy Murphy, the Wyoming state epidemiologist. 'It's being spread now through one infected person through another.'

Shigellosis is caused by the shigella sonnei bacterium, which occurs in fecal matter. It can cause abdominal cramping, loose or bloody stools and fever. It can be fatal in severe cases, although that's uncommon.

Murphy said anyone who thinks they might be infected should avoid going to school or work and should see a doctor."

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