Minnesota E. coli and HUS Law Provides Victims With Valuable Evidence
Under Minnesota law, health professionals must report E. coli O157 infection and hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) cases to the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH).
In a recent article in the Journal of Food Protection, Minnesota health officials explained what happens when a Minnesota resident is diagnosed with E. coli O157:
All Minnesota residents with a culture-confirmed E. coli O157 infection are routinely interviewed with a standard questionnaire about symptom history, food consumption, and other potential exposures occurring in the 7 days prior to onset of illness.
Clinical laboratories are required to forward all O157 isolates to the MDH Public Health Laboratory for confirmation and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) subtyping. PFGE subtypes are entered into the National Molecular Subtyping Network for Foodborne Disease Surveillance (PulseNet) database. PulseNet is the national electronic communications network for public health laboratories and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (Swanson 2005, see below)
This information is used to:
- Uncover national and local outbreaks
- Track ongoing outbreaks
- In the hands of an experienced Minnesota E. coli lawyer, to provide victims with evidence of the source of an outbreak
If you have questions about your E. coli O157 case, our Minnesota E. coli lawyers are available to provide you with answers based on years of E. coli and HUS litigation experience. These cases involving significant amounts of complicated, scientific information, and our lawyers have used that evidence to obtain multi-million-dollar recoveries for our clients.
To contact Pritzker Olsen law firm for a free consultation, please call 1-888-377-8900 (toll free), email Attorney Fred Pritzker or submit our online consultation form.
Reference: ELLEN SWANSON LAINE, JONI M. SCHEFTEL, DAVID J. BOXRUD, KEVIN J. VOUGHT, RICHARD N. DANILA, KEVIN M. ELFERING, AND KIRK E. SMITH, Outbreak of Escherichia coli O157:H7 Infections Associated with Nonintact Blade-Tenderized Frozen Steaks Sold by Door-to-Door VendorsJournal of Food Protection, Vol. 68, No. 6, 2005, Pages 1198–1202.
Minnesota Petting Zoo Linked to E. coli Outbreak
Our law firm is investigating a possible E. coli O157:H7 outbreak associated with the petting zoo at Sponsel’s Minnesota Harvest near Jordan, Minnesota. The firm is representing a 3-year-old boy who appears to have contracted the disease from a llama at the petting zoo. The child spent 11 days this month in a Twin Cities hospital fighting hemolytic uremic syndrome, or HUS, a life-threatening complication of an E. coli O157 infection.
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) found a strain of E. coli O157:H7 in the feces of a llama at the petting zoo that genetically matched the strain of E. coli O157:H7 that sickened the 3-year-old.
At least one other person who recently visited Sponsel’s Minnesota Harvest Petting Zoo may also have contracted E. coli HUS.
The petting zoo has been voluntarily and temporarily shut down. The apple orchard at Sponsel’s Minnesota Harvest is not associated with this potential E. coli outbreak.
E. coli O157:H7 is one of the most common and most dangerous kinds of intestinal disease agents associated with animal contact. Pritzker, who also represents victims of an E. coli O157:H7 outbreak at this year’s National Western Stock Show in Denver, said it is a well-known and preventable danger.
“Despite state guidelines recommending sanitation measures to ensure the safety of visitors to petting zoos, it appears the operator of this facility did not follow all of these guidelines,” stated Attorney Fred Pritzker. “The Minnesota Department of Health regularly sends these guidelines to businesses with petting zoos. This outbreak might have been prevented if this business had put safety first.”
For a free consultation with an attorney regarding your E. coli poisoning case, please call 612-338-0202, call 1-888-377-8900 (toll free) or submit our online form.
Minnesota E. coli-HUS Lawsuit Settled
The following information is provided by Pritzker Olsen, a Minneapolis, Minnesota, law firm that represents E. coli-HUS victims throughout the United States. Attorney Fred Pritzker has appeared on the CBS News, Fox’s “Geraldo Live,” and other programs discussing food litigation and food safety. He was named a “Top 100 Minnesota Super Lawyer” and a “Top 40 Minnesota Personal Injury Lawyer” in the August 2009 edition of Minnesota Law & Politics. He is also listed in the current edition of The Best Lawyers in America.
“Food manufacturers like Cargill should be held responsible when their products make someone sick,” stated Attorney Fred Pritzker. “It is my job as a food safety attorney to make sure that happens.”
The parents of an eleven-year-old Minnesota girl have reached a confidential settlement with Cargill in a case involving frozen ground beef patties contaminated with E. coli, according to news reports.
The frozen ground beef patties were lined to an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 in 2007.
[The young girl] spent over a month in the hospital after becoming ill with an E. coli O157:H7 infection. She developed Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome [HUS] and spent over three weeks on kidney dialysis as her physicians fought to save her life. Her medical bills were nearly $350,000.
She is now at a high risk of developing End Stage Renal Disease and incurring millions of dollars in future medical expenses. (Food Safety News)
In response to the E. coli outbreak, on October 6, 2007, Cargill Meat Solutions Corporation recalled approximately 845,000 pounds of frozen ground beef patties produced at its Butler, Wisconsin plant.
The frozen ground beef patties were produced on various dates from August 9 through August 17, 2007, and were distributed to retail establishments (including Sam’s Club), restaurants and institutions nationwide. Each label bears the establishment number “Est. 924A” inside the USDA mark of inspection. Read more about the Cargill hamburger recall.
To contact Pritzker Olsen about an E. coli-HUS lawsuit, please call 1-888-377-8900 (toll free), email Attorney Fred Pritzker, or submit our online form for a free consultation.
Reference: Suzanne Schreck, Cargill, Victim Settle E. coli HUS Case, Food Safety News, October 8, 2009: http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2009/10/cargill-victim-settle-e-coli-hus
