2010 Multistate Outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 Linked to Bravo Farms Dutch Style Gouda Cheese
An outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 was linked to the consumption of Bravo Farms Dutch Style Gouda Cheese. The cheese was sold, and was provided as in-store samples, at Costco Wholesale Corporation outlets. Laboratory testing of two opened, and one unopened, packages of the cheese yielded the outbreak strain of E. coli O157:H7 bacteria. According to the company web site, Bravo Farms cheeses are made with raw, unpasteurized, milk. Dutch style, gouda cheeses are typically young cheeses aged between one and four months. It was not clear how long the implicated cheese had been aged. The outbreak strain of E. coli O157:H7 was a new addition to the PulseNet database having never been documented previously. On November 24, the Bravo cheese recall was expanded to include all Bravo cheeses when Listeria monocytogenes and E.Coli O157:H7 bacteria were detected in samples of other Bravo cheeses. No illness was linked to the company's other cheese products; no illnesses due to Listeria were documented. The company resumed cheese sales in January, 2011. The investigation suggested that cheese-handling practices during in-store sampling may have contributed to the outbreak.
- Outbreak began:
- October 2010
- Affected Country:
- US
- Affected States/Territories:
- California, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada
- Organism(s):
-
- E. coli O157:H7
- Vehicle(s):
- Dairy, Cheese, Unpasteurized, Raw Cheese
- Molecular Results Available:
- Yes
- Test Results:
- EXHX01.2292/EXHA26.0621
- Location(s):
- Club Warehouse Store
- Brand Name(s):
- Bravo
- Product Subject to Recall:
- Yes
- Total ill:
- 40
- Number ill by Case Definition Known:
- Yes
- Number Laboratory Confirmed Cases:
- 40
- Number Probable Cases:
- 0
- Number Possible Cases:
- 0
- Anyone Hospitalized:
- Yes
- Number Hospitalized:
- 18
- Any Deaths:
- No
- Number Dead:
- 0
- Any References:
- Yes
-
- References:
- http://www.cdc.gov/ecoli/2010/cheese0157/index.htm
- http://bravofarms.com/
- http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-raw-milk-che
- Page 120 - http://www.cdc.gov/eis/downloads/2011.EIS.Conference.pdf
- Page 277 -- http://www.cste.org/webpdfs/ac/abstractbook2011.pdf