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E. Coli Outbreak Tied to The Kebab Shop Sickens Nine, Mostly Children

State investigators have linked the cluster to seasoned ground beef kofta and are testing the product to stop further serious illness.

E. coli cells are seen in a synthetic biology lab at Harvard Medical School in 2011. Not all types of E. coli make people sick, but the type implicated in the California outbreak, STEC (Shiga toxin-producing E. coli) can cause diarrhea, vomiting and abdominal cramps.  
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FILE – E.coli bacteria.
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Overview

  • Interviews by California health investigators found grilled beef kofta from The Kebab Shop was the likely source, and the chain halted sales of the item on May 18 after the link emerged.
  • Nine people fell ill between March 27 and April 30, six of them children; five were hospitalized and two developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a complication that can cause kidney failure.
  • Laboratory testing has confirmed the outbreak strain is Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O157:H7 and public-health teams are continuing product testing and active case finding.
  • Officials advised customers to discard any leftover beef kofta, to seek medical care if they develop diarrhea or vomiting within 10 days, and to cook ground beef to an internal temperature of 160°F.
  • The Kebab Shop says the implicated beef was distributed only to its restaurants and that other proteins come from different suppliers as investigators trace where contamination occurred.