E. Coli Outbreak In Chicken Salads And Wraps Sickens 26 People

The legions of food-borne illness triumphantly march on. Yesterday, the Richmond, California-based Glass Onion Catering recalled over 180,000 a pounds of prepared chicken salads and chicken sandwich wraps that may be contaminated with E. coli, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has reported. Selected products from Delish, Athersone Fine Foods, Lunch Spot, and Trader Joe's were included in the recall. The products, however, were only distributed to Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah, and Washington. (Perhaps, for the time being, a ham and cheese might be the way to go.) You can see a list of the labels of the potentially contaminated products here. If you happen to have one in your home, destroy it.

The products were produced between September 23 and November 6. The USDA reports that 26 people have been sickened with this particular strain of E. coli between September 29 and October 26; 15 of those patients ate one of the products listed in the recall.

Although mass E. coli outbreaks occur so often nowadays that you should probably know the symptoms by heart, here's a reminder: Escherichia coli is a common but potentially deadly bacterium that can cause dehydration, bloody diarrhea, and abdominal cramps for two to eight days after exposure. Yep — not pretty. Most cases clear up on their own, but some people — especially children and seniors — can develop a type of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which can spotted by easy bruising, pallor, and decreased urine output. Anyone with these symptoms should seek medical care immediately. (Food Safety News)