California Probes 9-Case E. coli Outbreak Tied to The Kebab Shop Beef Kofta
Updated
Updated · NBC San Diego · May 22
California Probes 9-Case E. coli Outbreak Tied to The Kebab Shop Beef Kofta
6 articles · Updated · NBC San Diego · May 22
Nine Californians were infected with Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O157:H7 after eating grilled beef kofta from The Kebab Shop, with illnesses beginning between March 27 and April 30.
Five patients were hospitalized and two developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a kidney-failure complication; six of the nine cases involved children, and no deaths were reported.
Interviews with patients pointed investigators to the seasoned ground beef kebabs, and CDPH said current evidence suggests the implicated beef was distributed only to The Kebab Shop.
May 18, The Kebab Shop voluntarily halted beef kofta sales at all locations and said there is no ongoing risk; California officials are still testing products and monitoring for additional cases.
Consumers who ate the dish and develop symptoms within 10 days were urged to seek medical care and discard leftovers as the state investigation continues.
Why do safety tests catch some tainted beef, while this outbreak was only found after nine people fell ill?
If the restaurant followed safety rules, how did its beef supplier trigger an E. coli outbreak affecting children?