Food contamination of E. coli 1993

Food contamination by E. coli bacteria in Western Washington a multistate outbreak between 15 November 1992 and 28 February 1993.

In January and February 1993, food contamination by E. coli bacteria kills three children in Western Washington. More than 450 persons fall ill or being exposed to infected persons epidemiologically linked to the consumption of undercooked hamburger patties or a single chain restaurants.

The source of the contamination will be traced to Jack in the Box Restaurants and to its meat supplier, Von's in California. Definitively it pointed to ground beef as the source of the infections.

The Vulnerable Young
On January 13, 1993 a Seattle pediatrician reported a cluster of illness to the Washington State Department.

Between January 3 and January 17, 1993, 50 people, most of them children and most of them in Western Washington, reported to hospitals complaining of severe stomach cramps and bloody diarrhea. Some children had to be placed on dialysis after their kidneys failed.

On January 19 alone, 38 people reported the symptoms. Ultimately, three children died, a two-year-old girl from Snohomish County, a two-year-old boy from Tacoma, and a 16-month-old boy from Bellingham.

By end of February, what later became known as the Jack in the Box outbreak had spread to four western states, causing more 500 laboratories confirmed cases.

The children died of heart failure brought on by kidney disease. Forty percent of those infected were under the age of six and two thirds were younger than 15.

Children who survive E. coli illness often develop kidney problems in 10 to 15 years. Some survivors lost organs such as colons and gall bladders which were damaged.

Origin of the Outbreak
The bacterium, officially known as Escherichia coli O157:H7 was traced to undercooked hamburger served at Jack in the Box Restaurants in Washington, California, Nevada and Utah.

More than 450 cases were reported in Washington and 100 more elsewhere in the West. Investigation by health officials found that Jack in the Box had received the large tubes of ground beef from a November 19, 1992, production run at Von's in California. One child in San Diego died in December after eating hamburger from a fast food restaurant there. Jack in the Box offered to pay the medical costs of all the victims.

A meat trace back identified five slaughter plants in the United States and one in Canada as the likely sources of carcasses used in the contaminated lots of meat.

By the end of March 1993, reports of the illness had stopped. About 700 people had developed diarrheal disease symptoms, and 56 of them had developed a very severe disease called ‘hemolytic uremic syndrome’ after the diarrhea subsided.

Food inspection official later confirmed that the source of the E. coli 0157:H7 was the Monster Burger, which was part of a promotion and was sold at a reduced price.

Demand for the burgers was unusually high, and the restaurant had difficulty keeping up with it. As a result, the burgers were not cooked long enough to kill the E. coli bacterium.
Food contamination of E. coli 1993