E coli – France

50 confirmed cases of E. coli linked to a type of Nestlé frozen pizza, in France.

Of the 50 confirmed cases, 48 were caused by E. coli O26 and two by E. coli O103. A further 25 cases of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) infections are still being investigated.

Of the 50 patients, 2 are adults over the age of 90 (one of which developed HUS) and remainder are children between the ages of 1-17 years old. 20 are females and 28 are males.
Two youngsters died but it is not known if they ate the pizzas and their deaths are under investigation.

11 patients live in Hauts-de-France, 8 in Nouvelle Aquitaine, 7 in Pays de la Loire, 6 in Bretagne & Ile-de-France, 3 in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, 2 each in Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Grand Est , Occitanie & Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur & 1 in Center Val-de-Loire.Some strains of E. coli are harmful. Shigatoxigenic Escherichia coli (STEC) and verotoxigenic E. coli (VTEC) are strains of the bacterium Escherichia coli that produce either Shiga toxin or Shiga-like toxin (verotoxin). Only a minority of the strains cause illness in humans. These are collectively known as enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC).

They are a major cause of foodborne-illness. When infecting humans, they often cause gastroenteritis, enterocolitis, bloody diarrhea, and sometimes cause a severe complication called hemolytic-uremic syndrome.

After eating contaminated food, the first symptoms of infection can emerge anywhere from 1 to 10 days later, but usually after 3 to 4 days. These early symptoms can include diarrhea (which is often bloody), stomach cramps, mild fever, or vomiting that results in dehydration and reduced urine. Hemolytic uremic syndrome typically develops about 5 to 10 days after the first symptoms, but can take up to 3 weeks to manifest, and occurs at a time when the diarrhea is improving.

The country with the highest incidence of hemolytic-uremic syndrome is Argentina. But it can occur in frequently large outbreaks in any country.