HARRISBURG, Pa. – The Pennsylvania Department of Health has confirmed a single case of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O26 (STEC O26) infection that is related to a multi-state outbreak of the bacterial illness.
A Pennsylvania resident tested positive for the STEC O26 strain associated with the current outbreak of the illness that has sickened 52 people in nine states. Some individuals with this strain of E.coli reported eating at Chipotle Mexican Grill in the week prior to their illness. However, the Pennsylvania resident said they had not eaten at a Chipotle restaurant, and the source of the infection has not yet been determined.
There are no other known cases of STEC 026 strain of E.coli in Pennsylvania. The Department of Health, along with the Centers for Disease Control and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, is continuing to investigate the source of the outbreak.
No specific information regarding the ill person is available due to patient confidentiality under the Disease Prevention and Control Act.
According to the Centers Disease Controll, consumers should contact a health care provider if they recently became ill with diarrheal symptoms after eating at a Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurant or any other food establishment. Most people infected with Shiga toxin-producing E.coli (STEC) develop diarrhea (often bloody) and abdominal cramps an average of 3 to 4 days after ingesting the germ.
For the most current information on the multi-state infection of STEC O26, visit www.cdc.gov/ecoli/2015/O26-11-15/index.html.
