Friday, August 06, 1999
Source of E. coli cases may be lost
Food samples from home kitchens were uncollected
BY TIM BONFIELD
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Some possible causes of the Tristate E. coli cluster may never be pinned down because public health officials didn't try to collect food samples from victims' homes.
And now, for many cases, it's too late to bother.
State and federal health authorities are investigating 20 cases of E.coli sickness that struck people in Hamilton, Butler and Clermont coun ties in June and July.
No deaths occurred, but the illnesses were severe enough to cause several hospitalizations.
Officials said earlier this week that food samples from at least two restaurants have been collected. But no samples from home kitchens or refrigerators were collected. Why not?
“That's a very good question,” said Dr. Janet Rickabaugh, Clermont County health commissioner and spokeswoman for the investigation. “We have not tested any home products. But now, it's kind of late to be doing that sampling.”
Late last year, a listeria outbreak blamed for 21 deaths and 100 illnesses in 22 states (including several cases in Ohio) led to a massive recall of Sara Lee hot dogs and cold cuts.
The link between the microbe and the company was traced thanks to a victim who still had some tainted hot dogs in the refrigerator, said Jane Beathard, Ohio Department of Health spokeswoman.
Yet if this E. coli cluster has any links to cold cuts or other store-bought foods, the local investigation could miss the clues. The first cases occurred in early June. Now, it is unlikely that any uncooked, unconsumed food samples are still around to be tested.
“We regulate restaurants, so we tend to focus on them first,” Dr. Rickabaugh said.
As of Thursday, there was no new information on what may have caused the local E. coli illnesses. Test results still aren't back for bacteria samples collected from victims or from the restaurant food samples.
Meanwhile, a team from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has told health officials not to discuss details, such as how many restaurants are being checked or what kinds of family or work connections exist among the 20 victims.
The CDC is doing its own interviews of victims, and hasn't shared much information with local officials. “The CDC ... wants to make sure their study is completely unbiased,” Dr. Rickabaugh said.
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