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Silent and Deadly The Stealth Pathogen Sickening Our Children

Before you let your child bite into a hamburger, consider that it may be harboring a potentially lethal pathogen that you cannot see, smell, taste or in any way detect. This pathogen, E. coli O157:H7, produces dangerous toxins that cause significant loss of water and salts, which may lead to sever dehydration. The toxins also cause intestinal hemorrhaging evidenced by bloody diarrhea. The severe dehydration and intestinal hemorrhaging may be lethal to young children because they cannot tolerate much blood and fluid loss. Another risk of E. coli O157:H7 poisoning is hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), the leading cause of kidney failure in children in the United States.



E. coli O157:H7 lives in the intestines of healthy cattle and is present in their manure. When these cattle go to slaughter, unsanitary conditions in the slaughterhouse can lead to contamination of meat with the cattle manure. Sometimes the intestines of an animal are accidentally cut open, allowing the contents to contaminate exposed meat.



E. coli O157:H7 that has contaminated the outside of meat during slaughter can become thoroughly mixed within meat during grinding. Even a small amount of E. coli O157:H7 can contaminate hundreds of pounds of ground beef. In the last few weeks, testing by the USDA has led to four (4) recalls of ground beef totaling 17,850 pounds. One of the recalls alone involved 13,078 pounds. For more information on the recalls, see the USDA's8217;s Food Safety and Inspection Service website, http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Home/index.asp.



's8220;This string of E. coli-related recalls emphasizes the need for more frequent and thorough microbiological testing,'s8221; said foodborne illness attorney Fred Pritzker. 's8220;Ground beef poses particularly high risks because it is both prone to contamination during production and is often undercooked. These risks clearly justify increased testing.'s8221;



Until increased microbiological testing keeps all contaminated ground beef from entering the food supply, parents need to take measures to protect their children. E. coli prevention measures include frequent hand washing, thorough cooking of ground beef, cleaning cooking surfaces and using clean plates for grilled meats. Before children bite into a hamburger, parents can cut the burgers in half to make sure they are not pink inside or use instant-read thermometers to check for doneness.



PritzkerRuohonen & Associates, P.A. is one of the few law firms in the United States that practices extensively in the area of foodborne illness litigation. The firm has collected millions of dollars on behalf of victims of E. coli O157:H7 poisoning and other foodborne illnesses. For more information, visit http://www.pritzkerlaw.com or contact Fred Pritzker at (612) 338-0202 or e-mail.

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