The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Food and Drug Administration and state officials are investigating a multistate outbreak of E. coli infections linked to clover sprouts from Jimmy John’s.
Fourteen people in Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Texas and Utah fell ill with E. coli O103 after eating clover sprouts at the sandwich restaurant. No deaths or hospitalizations have been reported.
Jimmy John’s reported that all of its restaurants stopped serving clover sprouts on Monday, two days before the CDC issued a food safety alert. Investigators are trying to determine whether other restaurants or retailers received the same contaminated clover sprouts linked to the illness.
Frank Yiannas, FDA food policy and response deputy commissioner, said in a statement the 14 new cases “underscore the seriousness of the issue,” and that the agency is working with Jimmy John’s to prevent similar future outbreaks.
People usually get sick from the Shiga toxin-producing E .coli (STEC) two to eight days after consuming the germ.
Symptoms of E. coli can include severe stomach cramps, usually bloody diarrhea and vomiting, and usually last five to seven days.
Some who are infected with the E. coli might develop a type of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome.
The CDC advises consumers to not eat and throw away leftover clover sprouts from Jimmy John’s, talk to a health care provider if experiencing symptoms of E. coli infection, report illness to local health departments and wash hands thoroughly after using the bathroom and before and after preparing food to lower the chance of infecting others.
Antibiotics are not recommended for patients with suspected E.coli infections until diagnostic testing can rule the infections out.
• Shen Wu Tan can be reached at stan@washingtontimes.com.
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