Forest Ranch Fire Department Fundraiser E. coli Outbreak
Outbreak News
Contaminated tri-tip served at a fundraiser to benefit the Forest Ranch, California volunteer fire department was identified as the source of a large E. coli O157:H7 outbreak in September of 2008. At least 27 people tested positive for E. coli infection, and four were hospitalized during the outbreak; one child remained hospitalized for ten days with hemolytic uremic syndrome.
An E. coli outbreak investigation conducted by the Butte County Public Health Department revealed that leftover frozen tri-tip from the fundraiser tested positive for the same strain of E. coli O157:H7 that was isolated from ill individuals, but how the meat became contaminated has not yet been determined.