Since the last update on April 26, 2019, 19 more ill people were added to this outbreak.
As of May 13, 2019, 196 people infected with the outbreak strain of E. coli O103 have been reported from 10 states -Florida 5, Georgia 49, Illinois 1, Indiana 1, Kentucky 69, Minnesota 1, Mississippi 1, Ohio 12, Tennessee 55 and Virginia 2. CDC is reporting the 196 illnesses that the PulseNet laboratory network has confirmed are part of this outbreak. States are investigating additional illnesses that might be a part of this outbreak.
Illnesses started on dates from March 1, 2019, to April 19, 2019. Ill people range in age from less than 1 year to 84 years, with a median age of 19. Fifty-two percent are female. Of 174 people with information available, 28 (16%) have been hospitalized. No deaths and two cases of hemolytic uremic syndrome have been reported.
This multistate investigation began on March 28, 2019, when officials in Kentucky and Georgia notified CDC of this outbreak. Epidemiologic and laboratory evidence indicates that ground beef is the likely source of this outbreak.
In interviews, ill people answered questions about the foods they ate and other exposures in the week before they became ill. Of the 147 people interviewed, 115 (78%) reported eating ground beef. This percentage is significantly higher than results from a survey pdf icon[PDF – 787 KB] of healthy people. Ill people bought or ate ground beef from several different grocery stores and restaurants. Many ill people bought large trays or chubs of ground beef from grocery stores and used the meat to make dishes like spaghetti sauce and sloppy joe.
Officials in Tennessee collected ground beef from a restaurant where ill people reported eating. Laboratory testing identified the outbreak strain of E. coli O103 in the ground beef collected in Tennessee.
Two companies recalled raw ground beef products because they may be contaminated with E. coli. Grant Park Packing in Franklin Park, Ill., recalled approximately 53,200 pounds of raw ground beef products on April 24, 2019. K2D Foods, doing business as Colorado Premium Foods, in Carrollton, Ga., recalled approximately 113,424 pounds of raw ground beef products on April 23, 2019. These products were sold to restaurants and institutions.
USDA-FSIS and state regulatory officials continue to collect products for testing and continue their traceback investigations to determine the source of ground beef supplied to grocery stores and restaurants where ill people ate. At this time, no common supplier, distributor, or brand of ground beef has been identified that could account for the whole outbreak.