Aug. 20, 2002
FOOD SAFETY UPDATE
Contact:
Darlene Slack
(805)-756-1511
County Public Health Department Releases New Information on E. Coli Cases
As of Aug. 20, the County Public Health Department had not been able to identify
the exposure source of three E.coli cases that broke out in San Luis Obispo
County the first week of August, and was continuing its investigation.
E.coli is a food borne illness that can be caused by undercooked ground beef, raw milk, some fresh produce, alfalfa sprouts and unpasteurized fruit juices.
Two of the people who became ill due to E.coli are Cal Poly summer students. One of those students did not eat on campus in the two weeks prior to becoming ill. The third case involved a student attending an on-campus conference when she became ill. No other cases have since been reported.
As part of the Health Department's investigation, Cal Poly meat samples were tested and came back negative for the E.Coli virus. All Cal Poly Campus Dining staff members are trained in proper food handling and cooking procedures. In addition, Campus Dining operations cook ground beef to 160 degrees, five degrees more than federal and state law require.
The Health Department also tested numerous vegetables from the stock of the produce distribution company which supplies Cal Poly and some 300 other restaurants in San Luis Obispo County. All of those tests were negative for E.coli.
The Health Department sent bacterial samples from the three E.coli cases to the State of California for genetic analysis. Results from those tests, received Aug. 19 by County Public Health, indicate all three cases are genetically indistinguishable.
In addition, the tests indicated that the three cases may be linked to others reported in San Diego, Nevada, and Georgia in late July, according to a County Public Health Department News Release on Aug. 19.
Anyone with questions regarding current illness or symptoms can contact the County Communicable Disease Program Manager, Barbara Schwenoha, at 781-5506.
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