Published Date: 2007-04-03 23:00:03
Subject: PRO/AH/EDR> E. coli O157, restaurant - USA (CA)
Archive Number: 20070403.1131

E. COLI O157, RESTAURANT - USA (CALIFORNIA)
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A ProMED-mail post
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Date: Tue 3 Apr 2007
From: ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>
Source: KABC (Los Angeles), Associated Press report [edited]
<http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=local&id=5178185>

An _E. coli_ outbreak in Orange County has been traced to a
Souplantation restaurant, health officials said Mon 2 Apr 2007. The 7
people who tested positive for the dangerous bacterium dined at the
same Souplantation in Lake Forest, 6 of them on 23 or 24 Mar 2007,
said Howard Sutter, spokesman for the county's Health Care Agency.
The 7th could not confirm an exact date.
Authorities have yet to determine the source. The restaurant was
allowed to remain open after health inspectors concluded its food and
conditions were safe, Sutter said.
The 7 cases were reported to county authorities in recent days. Of
those sickened, 3 were hospitalized, although their symptoms were not
considered life threatening, Sutter said.
The continuing investigation, which involves the O157:H7 strain, will
attempt to identify food items that may be implicated, officials
said. The bacteria strain, which was earlier said to be responsible
for illnesses linked to Taco Bell restaurants in the East, is
considered a leading cause of foodborne illness in the USA, according
to the CDC (U.S. Centers for Disease Control).
The food that caused the outbreak could be gone by now because it was
eaten nearly 2 weeks ago, officials said.
Souplantation owns and operates 34 restaurants in Southern
California. The food served at the restaurant is prepared in the
company's central kitchen, which supplies the 9 Souplantation
restaurants in Orange County, and there have been no reported cases
from guests who dined at the other locations during the identified
time period.
--
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>
[If no cases are found at the other 8 locations in Orange County,
since the food is prepared at a central location, it may well be the
case that contamination of, the so far unidentified vehicle occurred
at the local restaurant.
Lake Forest is located in Orange County in southern California, south
of Los Angeles. The county can be found on a map at
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_County,_California>. - Mod.LL]

See Also

E. coli O157, spinach - USA (multistate): 2006, FDA report 20070326.1051
E. coli O157, bagged salad greens - USA (multistate) 20070121.0288
E. coli O157, lettuce - USA (multistate): 2006 20070112.0158
2006
----
E. coli O157, fast food - USA (multistate) (05): lettuce 20061214.3516
E. coli O157, fast food - USA (IA, MN): lettuce 20061214.3515
E. coli O157, fast food - USA (multistate): green onions 20061206.3441
E. coli O157 - USA (NJ, NY) 20061205.3425
E. coli O157 - USA (NJ) 20061203.3415
E. coli O157, spinach - USA (multistate) (20) 20061027.3067
E. coli O157, spinach - USA (multistate): alert 20060915.2608
E. coli O157, day care - USA (TN) 20060701.1823
E. coli O157 - USA (multistate): unknown source 20060410.1068
E. coli O157, unpasteurized milk - USA (OR, WA) (04) 20060121.0199
.............................................ll/mj/lm

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