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Link Suspected Between E. coli Cases in U.S., Canada

By Pritzker | Ruohonen

Southern California is 2,100 miles away from southeastern Ontario, but health officials have found a genetic match between 21 confirmed cases of E. coli O157:H7 in Canada and five E. coli cases in Southern California, South Dakota and New Jersey.

The Canadian cases are located in a tight geographical cluster between Halton, Niagara and Waterloo, Ontario. The source of the outbreak has not been identified, but Niagara's chief medical officer of health has said tainted lettuce served in restaurants could be the source.

Through laboratory testing, the Canadian cases were recently found to share the same DNA fingerprint. Then on Monday, Dr. Bob Nosal, medical officer of health for Halton, told The Hamilton Spectator newspaper, that the same genetic code has shown up in five E. coli O157:H7 cases in far-flung locations in the United States.

"When you get something that rare showing up in the U.S., you really wonder -- is it possibly linked?'' Nosal said.

Involved in the investigation are the Ontario Ministry of Health, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

Media reports vary slightly on the number of confirmed cases in the Canadian outbreak, but the latest news releases from the Ontario Ministry of Helath and Long-Term Care and the Regional Municipality of Halton put the number at 21. Another 70 cases or more remain under investigation. 

Full post as published by Food Poisoning Law Blog on November 10, 2008 (boomark / email).