JBS Beef Recall Expanded - Now 23 E. coli Victims in 9 States

Washington, DCOn June 24, 2009, JBS Swift Beef Company recalled 41,280 pounds of assorted pieces of beef (beef primal products) because of potential contamination with E. coli O157:H7. The CDC, FDA, and state health departments are continuing their investigation of a multi-state foodborne illness outbreak of Escherichia coli O157:H7 that has sickened 23 persons in 9 states.

Four days later, on June 28, the company recalled an additional 380,000 pounds of beef primal products. Samples from unopened packages of JBS Swift beef recovered from one ill patient's home were tested by the Michigan Public Health Laboratory and yielded an E. coli O157:H7 isolate that matched the "DNA fingerprint" of the outbreak strain.

Of the 23 ill persons, 17 have been confirmed by an advanced DNA test as having the outbreak strain; confirmatory tests are pending on others. The number of ill persons identified in each state is as follows: California (4), Maine (1), Michigan (6), Minnesota (1), New Hampshire (1), New Jersey (2), New Mexico (1), New York (1) and Wisconsin (6).

The first reported illness began on April 2, 2009, and the last began on June 13, 2009. Among 17 ill persons for whom hospitalization status is known, 12 (70 percent) were hospitalized. Two patients developed a type of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). No deaths have been reported. Of patients with available information, 14 (64 percent) were male and 59 percent are less than 19 years old (range 2 to 74 years).

Most of the beef packages in the first recall bear the establishment number "Est. 969" inside the USDA mark of inspection and have identifying package dates of "042109" or "042209." The pieces of beef (primal beef products) in the expanded recall were produced on April 21, 2009, and were distributed nationally and internationally. Boxes of these pieces of beef bear the establishment number "EST. 969" inside the USDA mark of inspection, the identifying package date of "042109," and a time stamp ranging from "0618" to "1130." These pieces of beef were sold to retail stores nationwide after April 21, 2009, and some were probably cut again or made into ground beef, then re-packaged, so packages purchased by consumers may not have identifying information.