For months, the CDC and FDA have withheld the name of the firm responsible for a deadly E. coli outbreak from romaine lettuce that sickened 89 in 15 states with 36 hospitalized, seven with kidney failure and one death.
On April 17, the national E. coli attorneys at Marler Clark Inc. PS filed two Indiana and one Missouri federal E. coli O157:H7 lawsuits against Taylor Farms on behalf of two children and one adult woman who all suffered hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) – acute kidney failure – from E. coli O157:H7 infections. In addition, Marler Clark amended five previously filed E. coli O157:H7 lawsuits to include Taylor Farms as being linked to salads catered at a high school in St. Louis, MO, that sickened more than 50.
It is disappointing, but with 20,000 employees at Health and Human Services (HHS) being fired, investigating, and reporting on outbreaks and alerting the public to the cause is clearly not a priority for this administration. If the gutted CDC and FDA can no longer do the job, we will step up to inform and protect the public – so much for Make America Healthy Again (MAHA).
In November 2024, the CDC and FDA began an investigation into an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 illnesses. By the time the CDC and FDA closed the investigation in January 2025, the outbreak included 89 people across 15 states. Onset dates ranged from Nov. 4 to Nov. 30, 2024. Ages ranged from 4 to 90 years, with a median age of 24. Outcome information was available for 74 cases, of which half — 36 — were hospitalized. There were seven reported cases of HUS, and one death attributed to the outbreak. All cases were linked by whole genome sequencing (WGS) to each other. The investigation confirmed Taylor Farms romaine lettuce as the source of the outbreak, yet the CDC and FDA neglected to inform the public.
“Because we represent people and families from several states that were WGS matches to each other, it was not long until our on-staff epidemiologist determined that the common link was that all clients consumed Taylor Farms romaine lettuce in the outbreak period. Had the CDC and FDA been allowed to do their jobs they would have publicized the same conclusion.
Details of E. coli O157:H7 investigation:
Cases were identified at three Missouri catered events, an Ohio secondary school, an Indiana restaurant, an Illinois restaurant, and an Illinois event catered by a different Missouri-based caterer.
Salads were the common link across all seven subclusters; cases in all subclusters ate a romaine lettuce blend. In the points of service (POS), the traceback focused on romaine lettuce.
The CDC and FDA investigation consisted of three traceback legs representing twenty-eight cases and five POS. The three traceback legs identified four distribution centers, one broker, two processors, one grower, and one ranch – all names redacted in the documents.
The traceback investigation determined that a sole processer sourced romaine lettuce from a single grower that would have been available at all points of service during the timeframe of interest. Romaine lettuce supplied to four of the five POS were traced back to the common ranch and lot.
Through analysis of records, four lots of romaine lettuce were implicated, resulting in confirmation of romaine lettuce as the outbreak vehicle. Epidemiologic and traceback data supported the conclusion that romaine lettuce was the source of illnesses in the outbreak.
The CDC and FDA closed the investigation on January 15, 2025, with the confirmed vehicle being romaine lettuce, without alerting the public that Taylor Farms[3] was the source of the outbreak. See, CDC Report and FDA Report.
See, complaints: Carnaghi, Graham, Mujkanovic, Swearington, Everding, George, Hasenour and Hefling.