Michigan has been hit with a second large E. coli outbreak in less than 4 months. The first Michigan E. coli outbreak had 22 cases that were genetically linked to beef products sold by Nebraska Beef, Ltd. The second outbreak involves the following confirmed cases of E. coli O157:H7:
- 7 students at MSU
- 3 students at Michigan University
- 5 inmates at Lenawee County Jail
- 3 people in Macomb County
- 2 people in Wayne County
- 2 people in Kent County
- 1 person in St. Clair County
- 1 person in Oakland County
Health officials have genetically linked the Michigan E. coli cases with E. coli cases in Illinois, New York, Ohio and Oregon.
Health officials do not know the source of the E. coli, and investigations are ongoing. According to WILX-TV, however, the source may be food from a commercial distributor:
There’s speculation the food came from a commercial distributor, so MSU says, as a precaution, they’ve removed frozen turkey and particular produce items from their cafeteria for the time being.
Eight of the nine people hospitalized in this E. coli outbreak were Michigan students. E. coli infections can develop into hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), one of the leading causes of kidney failure.
Read more about this Michigan State University and University of Michigan E. coli Outbreak.
