Public health officials in California’s Humboldt County have suspended an investigation into five related E. coli illnesses because they do not have enough evidence to determine a common food source, according to the Eureka Times-Standard. The particular strain of E. coli O157:H7 affecting the patients had not been found in any other cases in California. Those affected also fell ill over a relatively long period between July and October. Four of the five cases developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a potentially fatal kidney disease associated with severe E. coli infections. One of those patients was Humboldt County Supervisor Estelle Fennell, who told the Times-Standard she was hospitalized for three weeks. Each of the patients reported eating leafy greens before falling ill, but investigators could not trace those claims back to a single source.
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This is part 1 of a 3-part series.
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