Another mystery E. coli outbreak in 5 states causes 16 sicknesses and one death

The CDC announced that several public health regulators and state officials are attempting to identify the food source of a multistate outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 infections. As of February 1, 2021, a total of 16 people infected with the outbreak strain have been reported from 5 states (Arkansas (6), New York (1), Oklahoma (5), Virginia (2), and Washington (2)). Of 12 people with information available, 9 have been hospitalized. Of 11 people with information, 3 developed a type of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). One death has been reported from Washington. WGS showed that bacteria from sick people’s samples are closely related genetically, which means that people in this outbreak likely got sick from eating the same food. WGS also showed that this outbreak strain had been previously linked to various sources, including romaine lettuce, ground beef, and recreational water.  @ https://www.cdc.gov/ecoli/2021/o157h7-02-21/details.html