Meat products made from ground (minced) beef were suspected to be behind a serious E. coli outbreak in the United Kingdom in 2023, according to a recent report. In June 2023, an outbreak of severe gastrointestinal symptoms caused by a rare type of Shiga toxin-producing E.
coli (STEC) was detected by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). There were 27 confirmed cases and one probable patient linked to the outbreak. Twenty-one sick people lived across England, three in Northern Ireland, and two in Scotland and Wales.
A total of 24 E. coli O183:H18 cases aged six months to 74 years old had onset dates ranging between May 22 and July 4, 2023, according to research published in the journal Microbial Genomics . Eleven cases were in the 0 to 9 years age group.
There was an equal number of female and male patients, with 13 each. One death and one case of HUS Of 24 people with available information, 17 reported bloody stools, and eight sought hospital care. One person developed Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS).
HUS is a severe complication associated with E. coli infections that causes kidney failure. One death is related to the outbreak, but the contribution of STEC infection to the death is uncertain, said scientists.
Efforts to find the source of infection included a questionnaire with 10 confirmed cases to collect a detailed food history two weeks before the onset of symptoms. Commonly reported items were strawberries, pasteurized milk, hard cheeses, chicken, and beef. All these i.
