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Colorado E. coli Outbreak Sickens 14 People

By Pritzker | Ruohonen

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment is investigating an E. coli outbreak that has been associated with a Jimmy John’s in Boulder, Colorado. Boulder County Public Health (BCPH) began investigating the Colorado E. coli outbreak in September when 7 students and a sorority adviser at the University of Colorado at Boulder became ill. All 8 had eaten Jimmy John’s subs.

The Colorado Health Department is now investigating 3 additional cases that have surfaced in Boulder and 3 cases elsewhere in Boulder County.

Alicia Cronquist, a spokesperson for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment told KUSA-9News:

“It's pretty clear to us that many of the cases in Boulder County are connected to the same sandwich shop. What's not clear to us is how the other cases around the state are linked to that. We suspect that they all ate some kind of common food item, but we're investigating to determine which one it is.”

Although the Boulder cases have been associated with Jimmy John’s, the health department is continuing its investigation to determine what sickened the three people that do not reside in Boulder. E. coli isolates from those three cases have the same genetic fingerprint as E. coli isolates from the 11 Boulder cases, meaning the illnesses were caused by the same source. 

Full post as published by Food Poisoning Law Blog on October 23, 2008 (boomark / email).