Publisher’s Platform: What’s up with E. coli and Carrots?

As of Nov. 17, there have been 39 people infected with the outbreak strain of E. coli reported from 18 states according to the CDC.

the states impacted are as follows: Wyoming 1, Washington 8, Virginia 1, Texas 1, South Carolina 2, Pennsylvania 1, Oregon 3, Ohio 1, North Carolina 1, New York 5, New Jersey 2, Missouri 1, Minnesota 5, Michigan 1, Massachusetts 1, Colorado 1, California 3, Arkansas .

Illnesses started on dates ranging from Sept. 6 to Oct. 28. Of 38 people with information available, 15 have been hospitalized and none developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a serious condition that can cause kidney failure. One death has been reported from California.

The CDC and public health officials in several states are investigating the multistate outbreak of E. coli O121 infections linked to multiple brands of recalled organic whole bagged carrots and baby carrots sold by Grimmway Farms. Carrots on store shelves right now are likely not affected but may be in people’s homes. More than 40 brands and sized of organic carrots have been recalled. 

The true number of sick people in this outbreak is likely much higher than the number reported, and the outbreak may not be limited to the states with known illnesses. This is because many people recover without medical care and or not tested for E. coli. In addition, recent illnesses may not yet be reported as it usually takes 3 to 4 weeks to determine if a sick person is part of an outbreak.

Outbreak sub-cluster: 35 Isolates Distance between selected isolates: minimum = 0 SNPs, maximum = 17 SNPs, average = 2 SNPs (34 isolates, without the bottom one that is on its own branch, minimum = 0 SNPs, maximum = 6 SNPs, average = 2 SNPs)  WGS date range: 2024-10-04 to 2024-11-12.

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