The San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department confirmed the death of one person infected in a recent E. coli outbreak linked to a local farm, KSBY News reported.
Health officials first reported the outbreak in late October, confirming five cases of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli infection. The illness causes severe stomach cramps, diarrhea, and vomiting, and can lead to life-threatening complications such as kidney damage.
Brookshire Farms in San Luis Obispo temporarily shut down after county health officials determined that patients fell ill after visiting the property. Following further testing of water, food, and environmental samples, health workers did not find the specific strain of E. coli on the grounds and could not pinpoint the exact source of the contamination, KSBY News reported.
“is no longer an ongoing public health threat,” the San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department declared. Brookshire Farms reopened its gates on Nov. 6.
Shawn Callaway defends farm cleanliness during investigation
Brookshire Farms co-owner Shawn Callaway spoke out about the closure, telling The Tribune that cleanliness is a priority at the property. The farm maintains 17 restrooms cleaned regularly and pumped twice a week, alongside 17 handwashing stations and eight sanitizing stations, according to the New York Post.
Callaway questioned whether pumpkins were the source of the bacteria because many sick visitors had no contact with them. “(The county) never tested our pumpkins,” Brookshire Farms co-owner Shawn Callaway told the New York Post.
“I am destroyed,” Callaway told The Tribune. “We’ve gone through … about 11 days now of numbness. I can’t explain it… I mean, the worries, the fears, the concerns, the ups and downs. I mean, how do you explain it? I don’t know.”
Three children require intensive care after developing hemolytic uremic syndrome
Three children required pediatric intensive care after developing hemolytic uremic syndrome, a dangerous complication that can cause kidney failure, Medical Daily reported. Among the hospitalized children is 6-year-old Camden Foy of Nipomo, who was in critical condition at Stanford’s Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital after visiting the farm on Oct. 17, according to the New York Post.
“He’s on 5 blood pressure meds. An IV BP drip, 3 orals, and a BP patch,” his grandmother Linda Strong-Foy said in a Facebook post.
San Luis Obispo County recorded five laboratory-confirmed E. coli O157 infections in people who visited the farm on Oct. 17 or 18. Ten additional individuals who visited between Oct. 16 and 26 developed matching symptoms, bringing the total of suspect cases under review to 13, Medical Daily reported.
Health officials did not release specific details about the patient who died. In a statement reported by KSBY News, Public Information Officer Tom Cuddy addressed the fatality.
“This is truly a heartbreaking development, and our thoughts are with the family and everyone affected by this outbreak,” said Tom Cuddy, Public Information Officer for the San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department, in a statement reported by KSBY News.
Questions About San Luis Obispo E. Coli Cases
What caused the outbreak at Brookshire Farms?
Investigators collected food, water, and environmental samples from Brookshire Farms, but none tested positive for the specific E. coli O157 strain. While other bacteria and strains of E. coli turned up in some samples, county officials could not identify the exact source of the outbreak, according to KSBY News.
“Although it's frustrating to not be able to pinpoint the exact source of the infection through environmental lab testing, this is not unexpected, and bacterial contamination is often temporary and difficult to detect through available sampling methods,” county health officer Dr. Christy Mulkerin said in a release.
How many people fell ill during the outbreak?
The county recorded five laboratory-confirmed E. coli O157 infections and ten additional symptomatic visitors, totaling 15 affected individuals, according to the Marler Blog. Medical Daily noted a figure of five confirmed cases and eight cases under investigation.
What is hemolytic uremic syndrome?
Hemolytic uremic syndrome, or HUS, is a severe complication of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli where toxins damage small blood vessels, cause red blood cells to break apart, and can stop the kidneys from filtering blood properly, Medical Daily reported.
Are visitors without symptoms at risk?
County health officials said that visitors who remain symptom-free do not need testing and only need to watch for signs of illness, according to Medical Daily.
When did Brookshire Farms reopen?
Brookshire Farms reopened on Nov. 6 after the San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department declared that there was no longer an ongoing threat to public health, KSBY News reported.
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