Another Seattle restaurant fingered as new E. coli source, different from other one

Posted on September 15, 2016 by Douglas Powell

JoNel Aleccia of The Seattle Times reports that for the second time in a week, King County health officials are investigating an outbreak of potentially dangerous E. coli food poisoning linked to a Mexican-style restaurant, but they say the incidents don’t appear related.

An outbreak of Shiga-toxin producing E. coli O157: H7 (STEC) sickened two people who ate at Memo’s Mexican Food in Seattle’s University District in August, officials with Public Health — Seattle & King County reported Wednesday.

Laboratory testing showed those illnesses were caused by the same strain of the bacteria.

But it’s different from the strain that has sickened 10 other people, including six who ate at the Matador restaurant in Ballard last month.

“These clusters do not appear related to each other,” according to a public health notice posted Wednesday.

An investigation on Monday revealed other factors that could have contributed to the outbreak at Memo’s, 4743 University Way N.E. Those included improper cooling, cold-holding, reheating of potentially hazardous food and the potential for cross-contamination. Because the violations were corrected on site, and there was not an ongoing risk, the restaurant was not closed. Inspectors will return in 14 days to ensure that the site remains safe.

Matador customer: E. coli illness ‘worst pain you could imagine’

Posted on September 15, 2016 by Douglas Powell

A Seattle woman who became ill in the recent E. coli outbreak described it as the “worst pain you could imagine.”

33-year-old Annamarie Kirkpatrick said she ate at Matador in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood on August 20. She became ill with severe abdominal pain five days later.

“Probably the worst pain you could imagine,” she said. “But just having a doctor tell you we think it’s this, we think it’s this, having six diagnoses in three days was probably the worst.”

Kirkpatrick is one of six people who became ill after eating at the restaurant.

The sign on the door Tuesday said the restaurant was temporarily closed. Health investigators say they are still searching for the source.

“It’s scary to think you go out to a restaurant and order food, and they’re supposed to be the healthiest friendliest places, you would think. And you end up contracting an illness,” Kirkpatrick said.

10 sick: E. coli strain that closed Matador restaurant found elsewhere

Posted on September 13, 2016 by Douglas Powell

JoNel Aleccia of The Seattle Times reports that an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 that closed the Matador restaurant in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood last week appears to be linked to more illnesses in Washington and three other states, health officials said Monday.

In addition to the five illnesses linked to the Matador, two more Washington cases — one in Skagit County, one in Snohomish County — have been detected that have no connection with the Matador, a spokeswoman with the state Department of Health said Monday.

And three cases with the same genetic fingerprint have been detected in three other states, officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicated. One of those people visited Seattle and ate at the Matador in Ballard.

That’s a total of 10 cases of what are known as STEC infections — but just six of those cases appear related to the restaurant.

Such dispersed illnesses indicate that the problem might not lie entirely with the Matador in Ballard. The restaurant closed Friday after inspectors with Public Health – Seattle & King County said they temporarily suspended the firm’s food business permit to allow thorough cleaning and sanitizing.

“It’s looking more like a potential source, a contaminated product,” said Dr. Meagan Kay, a medical epidemiologist with King County.

State and federal officials have taken over the probe, she added.

Restaurant owner Zak Melang, who runs 14 sites in several states, said the problem may lie with an outside vendor. He urged health officials to investigate quickly to clear his name.

“It’s our reputation on the line,” he said Monday. “The questions aren’t stopping.”

Since 2010, the Matador has been cited 10 times for food-handling practices linked to higher risks of food-borne disease, according to public-health records. Six of those violations were for failure to keep food at the proper cold holding temperatures, which keeps bacteria growth in check, the records show.

5 sick: Seattle restaurant closed after links to E. coli

Posted on September 10, 2016 by Douglas Powell

King County Public Health is investigating an outbreak of E. coli at the Matador restaurant in Ballard that sickened five people.

Health officials said in all five cases, customers developed symptoms including diarrhea and abdominal cramps after eating at the restaurant late last month. Three of those people had to be hospitalized, and one of those patients developed a kidney problem. All five people have since recovered.

Laboratory tests determined all five people had the same strain of E. coli.

The restaurant has been temporarily closed while the health department investigates the cause of the contamination. The restaurant will also be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized.

Salmonella from same processor stalks Seattle cook-outs

Posted on July 20, 2016 by Douglas Powell

On July 15, 2015, the Washington State Department of Health notified the feds of an investigation of Salmonella I 4,[5],12:i:- illnesses. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) determined there was a link between whole hogs for barbeque and pork products from Kapowsin Meats of Pierce County and those illnesses.

In the end, at least 192 were sickened by the oddly named Salmonella I 4,[5],12:i:-.

It has now emerged that the Salmonella that sickened at least 11 people at a Seattle luau in July is the same type — and possibly from the same source — as the July 2015 outbreak.

JoNel Aleccia of The Seattle Times cited Washington state epidemiologist Dr. Scott Lindquist as saying they all ate whole roast pork served either at the Good Vibe Tribe Luau at Golden Gardens Park in Seattle on July 3, or at a private event in Pierce County,. The meat in both cases came from Kapowsin, which reopened with approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on June 13.

“This is very concerning to me,” said Lindquist.

The genetic fingerprints of the bacteria match those from the outbreak that caused 22 clusters of illnesses in June and July 2015 in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, California and Alaska, Lindquist said.

When reached by phone, John Anderson, chief executive of Kapowsin Meats in Graham, Pierce County, declined to answer questions Tuesday. He referred calls to the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).

FSIS officials said Kapowsin had implemented new cleaning, processing and bacterial-sampling protocols, including running whole hog carcasses through a steam intervention to kill bacteria. Federal inspectors were at the plant when it reopened in June and have been there every day that slaughter occurred.

The plant remained open Tuesday, FSIS officials said. Officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said they were monitoring the outbreak closely.

Health officials urge consumers to use care when cooking whole roast pig to avoid getting sick. Consumers should make sure the meat is clean, avoid cross-contamination of utensils and surfaces, cook the meat to a minimum temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit, and quickly refrigerate cooked meat after meals.

But this doesn’t sound so much like a consumer problem as a slaughterhouse problem.

Four cases of salmonellosis linked to Seattle luau

Posted on July 19, 2016 by Ben Chapman

My experience with Hawaii is pretty close to zero. I stopped there for a layover on a trip to Australia (for about an hour); I watched Magnum PI reruns when I was a kid; The Descendants is in my top 10 favorite all-time movies.

I’ve never been to a luau. Even a fake one.

According to JoNel Aleccia of the Seattle Times, the Good Vibe Tribe Luau (which sounds awesome) is the source of Salmonella outbreak.

Illnesses were reported on July 11 and 12, with two reports on July 15.

Investigators are trying to determine what may have caused the illnesses at the event, where food included rotisserie roasted pig, barbecued beef, black beans and rice, tropical fruit salad, pineapple coleslaw, Hawaiian sweet bread and corn on the cob.

The event was catered by Mojito of Seattle. Inspectors visited the catering facility on July 13. No foods or processes have been linked to the illnesses so far.

2 sick with Salmonella linked to Seattle pub

Posted on July 9, 2016 by Douglas Powell

King County health officials are investigating an outbreak of Salmonella linked to the Fadó Irish Pub & Restaurant in downtown Seattle.

Two people in separate parties became sick after eating bacon cheeseburgers at the restaurant on June 16th.

Laboratory tests showed the two were infected with the same Salmonella bacteria.

Public Health workers inspected the restaurant last week and found several violations that may have caused the outbreak including: inadequate equipment cleaning and handwashing and poor handwashing facilities. The restaurant has since corrected those violations.

3 children under 5 sick with shiga toxin E. coli in Wash. state

Posted on June 10, 2016 by Douglas Powell

King County Public Health is investigating the cases of three children all under age 5 who have E. coli infections.

Two of the children had to be hospitalized with complications, including a type of kidney injury. The third is recovering at home.

Health officials don’t yet know whether the children have the same strain of E. coli and whether the cases are linked.

Public Health – Seattle & King County said it received the first report of illness on May 26, the second report on June 1 and the third on June 6.

50 sick: Seattle restaurant closed after suspected noro outbreak

Posted on January 27, 2016 by Douglas Powell

JoNel Aleccia of The Seattle Times reports that health officials have closed Maggiano’s Little Italy restaurant in Bellevue while they investigate a suspected outbreak of norovirus food poisoning that may have sickened as many as 50 people at a private event.

One or more people may already have been ill at the Jan. 18 event, officials with Public Health — Seattle & King County reported Tuesday.

Several workers at the restaurant at 10455 N.E. Eighth St. in Bellevue also were ill with symptoms consistent with norovirus. No lab tests have confirmed that the illnesses are norovirus, but tests may be pending, officials said.

Norovirus sickens dozens at Seattle retirement community

Posted on January 15, 2016 by Douglas Powell

Norovirus has sickened more than two dozen people at a senior living facility in Seattle.

The outbreak first surfaced on Saturday night at Mirabella Seattle and has continued spreading ever since. On Sunday morning, Seattle firefighters answered Artis Leabo’s 911 call for her 94-year-old husband, Dick.

“He got sick early Sunday morning right after breakfast, he ate his breakfast and things started to explode,” said Leabo.

The elderly man is one of the residents at that Mirabella Seattle, a Continuing Care Retirement Community, who got sick.

Leabo says he remains hospitalized.

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