Although the lettuce tested negative, officials said they still believe the caterer’s salad was a possible source of infection.
ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — Test results released Friday have ruled out the possible source of an E. coli outbreak that sickened more than 100 people in St. Louis County.
Inspections conducted by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services showed iceberg lettuce collected at Andre’s Banquet Center after an estimated 106 people attended two school band events, two funerals, and a veterans catering event. No trace of E. coli was detected in the unopened package. Business deteriorated.
“A negative test result on the lettuce does not conclusively rule out the possibility that the salad is a source of E. coli,” the St. Louis County Health Department said in a statement. “This is because bacteria like E. coli often occur in isolated pockets within foods, and sampling events can miss the pathogen entirely…a negative result does not necessarily indicate the absence of bacteria. and does not indicate that M. Andre has been eliminated as a potential source. ”
The county hospital announced Thursday that two people have since become ill. hemolytic uremic syndromeor HUS, is a rare but serious disease that can occur as a complication of E. coli infection. The disease affects the kidneys and blood clotting system and can lead to kidney failure.
“People infected with this E. coli O157:H7 have less than a 10% chance of developing the disease, but when they do, it can be quite serious, and basically everyone ends up in the hospital. ” he said. Dr. Farin Manian, Chief of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases at St. Louis Mercy Hospital.
Andre’s owner John Armengol Jr. issued the following statement after the negative test results were announced:
“While we are relieved to learn that the Missouri State Public Health Laboratory test results were negative, we continue to work with state and local health departments to determine the source of the E. coli that caused the illness in this area.” As a result, some people did not attend the E. coli-related events that Andre was contracted to. ”
Three parents of high school students are suing the catering company. The fourth lawsuit was filed by an adult who ate at one of the events and later tested positive for E. coli.
Jolie Lange, a national food poisoning attorney with Lange and Simon Law Firms, represents at least one client who was hospitalized with E. coli. Lange said he has been contacted by more than a dozen people who have become ill.
“Mr. Andre denies any responsibility for this. Obviously, Mr. Andre has something in common. I’m sure that at the end of the day, this all goes back to Mr. Andre. But , in terms of how that contamination happened, that’s the question.’We want to know that,” Lange said.
Lange feels that health authorities need to continue testing Andre’s salads and other food.
“The first thing we want to know is what products are still left, because often in outbreaks like this, by the time the health department gets on the scene, there’s no food left, or there’s no food left. Or if it’s gone bad, you need to see what’s left. For example, for lettuce, is it the same lot number that was sold at these events?” said Lange.
Neither the state nor county health departments have ruled out E. coli infection in Andre. Health officials said they still believe Andre’s salad was the source of the infection.
“Testing the lettuce is an important part of the investigation, but it is only one piece of a larger puzzle,” the health department said. “The most convincing evidence comes from epidemiological findings: dozens of people with consistent, clinically consistent symptoms are linked by a single common factor: exposure to Andre’s salad. Exposure is extremely important and remains the strongest link to the spread of infection,” regardless of whether a specific contaminated ingredient is identified through testing. ”
