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Meat Served at Forest Ranch Fundraiser Tests Positive for E. coli O157:H7

By Pritzker | Ruohonen

Butte County Public Health continues its investigation of a California E. coli 0157:H7 outbreak that sickened at least twenty-seven people. The outbreak occurred among attendees of an event held in the community of Forest Ranch on September 6. The event was a fundraiser for the Forest Ranch Volunteer Fire Department. The people sickened ranged in age from two years old to eighty years old. Four cases were hospitalized and are now home recovering.

After analyzing data collected from interviews of those sickened and others who attended the event, health officials determined that beef tri tip served at the barbecue was the most likely source of the outbreak.  Butte County Public Health now reports that cultures taken from leftover meat cooked at the event have grown E. coli 0157:H7 which genetically matches the outbreak E. coli O157:H7.  This finding links the beef tri tip to the outbreak.

Butte County health officials continue to investigate how the cooked meat was contaminated.

Full post as published by Food Poisoning Law Blog on October 07, 2008 (boomark / email).