Michigan Personal Injury Blog - food borne illness

Don't Drown Your Sorrows with Cookie Dough: Nestle Recalls Refrigerated Dough for Potential E. coli Contamination

David Mittleman — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 13:01:36 GMT

Danville, Virginia—no one can quite figure out how a strain of E. coli, commonly found in the intestines of cows, may have gotten into a batch of Nestle Toll House refrigerated cookie dough. Nevertheless, federal microbiologists and food safety inspectors have already launched a full scale investigation into the mystery after at least 65 people reported food borne illness symptoms after consuming raw dough. So far, all refrigerated Nestle products have been pulled from grocery store shelves to prevent further illness while investigators attempt to confirm the presence of E. coli in the dough.

Alarmingly, two-thirds of the 65 victims are under the age of 19. Health officials are particularly concerned about this outbreak because of the severe complications that can arise with food borne illnesses in children and the elderly. Nestle has reportedly cooperated fully with federal authorities and recalled all of the 300,000 cases of potentially contaminated dough within 24 hours of being notified by the FDA that there was a problem.

Investigators are still testing samples of the dough collected from the Danville, VA plant as well as dough from the victims. While there is still no solid proof that the dough contained E. coli 0157, an epidemiologist on the case says he is “100% certain” that the cookie dough is to blame for the reported illnesses since everyone who got sick reportedly ate raw Nestle cookie dough. Ironically, the risk usually associated with eating raw cookie dough is Salmonella, a type of bacteria found in raw eggs. Nestle does have a notice on their packaging warning consumers not to eat the cookie dough raw. However, raw dough has become a popular snack thanks, in part, to the popular ice cream flavor.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by David Mittleman

E. Coli Lawsuit | Michigan Food Poisoning Lawyers

Daniel Buckfire — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 14:59:00 GMT

A student at Michigan State University has filed an E. Coli food poisoning lawsuit against a Detroit supplier of iceberg lettuce that infected people in 40 people in 5 states. E. Coli is a bacterial infection of the small intestine. Eating improperly prepared or stored food and drinking untreated water are common causes of E. Coli food poisoning. Travel to areas with unsanitary drinking water is also a common cause of E. Coli food poisoning. The lawsuit seeks compensation for the plaintiff’s medical expenses, wages lost because the plaintiff was too sick to go to work, and continuing symptoms, among other damages.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Daniel Buckfire

Botulism| Michigan Food Poisoning Lawyers

Daniel Buckfire — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 17:06:00 GMT

The Michigan food poisoning lawyers at our firm frequently handle cases involving clients who have contracted Botulism food poisoning. These cases frequently involve people who have become ill after eating food that was prepared in unsanitary restaurants, day-care centers, nursing homes, camps, or under any other unsanitary conditions.

Botulism is an infection of the small intestine caused when the Clostridium botulinum bacteria enters the body through cuts and wounds or when the bacteria is ingested after being stored in improperly canned, preserved, or packaged food. The natural environment for the bacteria is soil and untreated water, but it can live for a prolonged period of time in improperly stored food, such as home-canned vegetables, cured pork and ham, smoked or raw fish, and honey or corn syrup.

Botulism Symptoms include:

Abdominal cramps
Weak breathing, which may eventually lead to breathing failure and death
Dry mouth
Difficulty swallowing and speaking
Double vision
Nausea
Vomiting
Weakness, which may eventually lead to paralysis
Constipation
Weak cry and weak feeding/sucking (infants)

Botulism presents a very serious health threat and can be fatal if left untreated. Like other forms of food poisoning, botulism also carries associated risks of dehydration. Also like other forms of food poisoning, botulism is particularly dangerous for young children, the elderly, people who are or recently have been sick, and most especially infants. Prompt medical treatment can greatly decrease the danger of long-term and permanent damage. Anyone who may be suffering from Botulism food poisoning should drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration and should seek medical attention immediately.

Reporting your illness, either through ReportFoodPoisoning.com, or directly to your health department, allows your health department to identify outbreaks and prevent others from becoming sick. Persons suffering illness from food poisoning can also pursue their legal rights against the restauarant or seller of food.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Daniel Buckfire

E. Coli| Michigan Food Poisoning Lawyers

Daniel Buckfire — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 17:05:00 GMT

The Michigan food poisoning lawyers at our firm frequently handle cases involving clients who have contracted E. Coli food poisoning. These cases frequently involve people who have become ill after eating food that was prepared in unsanitary restaurants, day-care centers, nursing homes, camps, or under any other unsanitary conditions.

E. Coli is a bacterial infection of the small intestine. Eating improperly prepared or stored food and drinking untreated water are common causes of E. Coli food poisoning. Travel to areas with unsanitary drinking water is also a common cause of E. Coli food poisoning.

E. Coli food poisoning symptoms include:

Cramps or abdominal pain
Sudden and severe diarrhea, including bloody diarrhea
Nausea
Vomiting
Fever
Gas
Loss of appetite

Symptoms generally last for about 1 – 3 days, but there may be an incubation period of up to three days between when infection occurs and symptoms begin to appear. Although many times people recover with no medical treatment, a significant minority of patients require hospitalization. In addition, diarrhea and vomiting can contribute to dehydration, which is a very serious health threat, especially to young children, the elderly, and people who are or recently have been sick. Anyone who may be suffering from E. Coli food poisoning should drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration and should seek medical attention immediately.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Daniel Buckfire

Salmonella| Michigan Food Poisoning Lawer

Daniel Buckfire — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 13:30:00 GMT

The Michigan food poisoning lawyers at our firm frequently handle cases involving clients who have contracted Salmonella food poisoning. These cases frequently involve people who have become ill after eating food that was prepared in unsanitary restaurants, day-care centers, nursing homes, camps, or under any other unsanitary conditions.

Salmonella food poisoning occurs when the small intestine becomes infected with bacteria that contaminates unsanitary food and water. Common Salmonella food poisoning causes include:

Eating improperly stored food, especially meat, eggs, and poultry that have not been refrigerated
Associating with family members or friends who have been infected
Eating food from a day-care center, nursing home, camp, or restaurant that has been contaminated with salmonella
Keeping an iguana, turtle, snake, lizard, or other reptile as a pet

Salmonella food poisoning symptoms include:

Cramps or abdominal pain
Diarrhea
Nausea
Vomiting
Fever
Chills
Muscle pain

Symptoms generally last for about 2 – 5 days and most people recover without medical treatment. It is important to realize, however, that a significant number of people face Salmonella food poisoning with weakened immune systems, and this may cause complications in the healing process. Also, prolonged diarrhea and vomiting risk causing severe dehydration, which can be a very serious health threat, especially for young children, the elderly, and people who are or recently have been sick. Anyone who may be suffering from Salmonella food poisoning should drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration and should seek medical attention immediately.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Daniel Buckfire

Campylobacter Bacteria| Michigan Food Poisoning Lawyer

Daniel Buckfire — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 13:29:00 GMT

The Michigan food poisoning lawyers at our firm frequently handle cases involving clients who have contracted Campylobacter food poisoning. These cases usually involve people who have become ill after undercooked chicken, usually at a restaurant. Even though most cases involved restaurants, Campylobacter food poisoning can also occur when schools or day-care centers served undercooked food or when individuals cooking in their own homes do not cook foods, especially chicken, all the way.

Campylobacter Food Poisoning Causes

Campylobacter food poisoning is an infection of the small intestine caused by the bacteria Campylobacter jejuni. An infection is more likely when:

Undercooked or improperly prepared food has been consumed, especially raw or undercooked poultry, fresh produce, or unpasteurized milk
Family members or friends have recently been infected
There has been recent travel in an unsanitary area

Common Symptoms of Campylobacter Food Poisoning include:

Diarrhea, including bloody diarrhea
Cramps and abdominal pain
Fever

There is usually an incubation period of 2 – 4 days after infection has occurred but before the symptoms appear. Symptoms generally last about one week.

Although most people recover in about one week and do not require medical treatment, there are several complications that could make an individual case of Campylobacter food poisoning more severe. Most importantly, anyone suffering from diarrhea can quickly become dehydrated, which can be a very serious health threat especially for young children, the elderly, and people who have recently been sick. Anyone suffering from Campylobacter food poisoning should drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration.

In addition, immunosuppressed people who are infected may become more vulnerable to other infections, such as meningitis, sepsis, endocarditis, and thrombophlebitis. Some patients may develop a form of arthritis. A very small percentage of people may become temporarily or, even more rarely, permanently paralized from Campylobacter food poisoning. Because of this, anyone who may be suffering from Campylobacter food poisoning should seek medical attention.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Daniel Buckfire

Norovirus Food Poisoning

Daniel Buckfire — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 17:01:00 GMT

The Michigan food poisoning lawyers at our firm frequently handle cases involving clients who have contracted Norovirus food poisoning. These cases usually involve clients who have become ill after eating at a Norovirus contaminated restaurant or after an outbreak has occurred at day-care centers or nursing homes. Norovirus is most commonly recognized as a short-term “stomach flu.”

Common Norovirus symptoms include:

Nausea
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Stomach cramping
Fever
Chills
Headache
Muscle ache
Fatigue

These symptoms are usually most pronounced in young children, the elderly, and persons with immune systems that have already been weakened from other diseases.

Norovirus infections are caused by groups of viruses formerly known as Norwalk-like viruses and caliciviruses. The natural environment for Norovirus is the human intestine, but like any virus it can live for a several days outside of a human host. It is commonly found in human feces, vomit, and syliva.

Common Causes of Norovirus include:

Eating food or drinking liquid that has been contaminated with Norovirus
Touching contaminated surfaces and placing one’s hand in one’s mouth
Having direct contact with an infected person, such as by providing care for a sick child or by sharing forks, spoons, and knives.

Norovirus infections are generally not severe and in most cases clear up after 1 – 3 days, it is important to note that Norovirus is highly contagious. Infected people can remain contagious for up to two full weeks after their symptoms disappear. In addition, although many cases require no more than a few days in bed, persistent vomiting and diarrhea can cause dehydration, which itself can present a very serious health threat, again especially to young children, the elderly, and people with already-weakened immune systems. Anyone who may be infected with Norovirus should drink plenty of fluids and seek medical attention as soon as possible.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Daniel Buckfire