Au Japanthe kyoto prefecture announced on September 15, 2022 the death of a 90-year-old woman who presented with diarrhea and abdominal pain related to the consumption of beef yukhoe (beef tartare) sold by Meat & Fresh Takami, a meat trader in the city ofUji. L’Esherichia coli enterohaemorrhagic O157 was detected in the woman’s stool. She ate yukhoe at home on August 27, developed symptoms on September 2, and died on September 15.
Additionally, 22 men and women ages 9 to 87 who ate yukhoe and roast beef at this restaurant between August 21 and August 26, 2022 complained of similar symptoms, and E. coli O157 was detected in 12 people, including asymptomatic people. The prefectural government determined that these foods were the cause of the food poisoning.
Reminders on Escherichia coli O157:H7 :
Escherichia coli is a bacterium commonly found in the digestive tract of humans and warm-blooded animals. Most strains are harmless. Some, like Enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC), can cause serious foodborne illnesses. It produces toxins, called verotoxins or Shiga-like (Shiga-like) toxins because of their resemblance to those produced by Shigella dysentery. Enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli 0157:H7 is the most important serotype for public health, but other serotypes have often been observed in association with sporadic cases and outbreaks.
Transmission to humans occurs mainly through the consumption of contaminated food, such as raw or undercooked minced meat, raw milk, raw vegetables and contaminated sprouted seeds.
The infection at Enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7 causes abdominal cramps and diarrhea which in some cases progresses to bloody diarrhea (hemorrhagic colitis). There may also be fever and vomiting. The incubation period ranges from three to eight days with a median duration of three to four days.
Most patients are cured within 10 days, but for a small proportion of them (especially young children and the elderly), the infection can progress to a life-threatening form, such as hemolytic uremic syndrome.
Source ProMED
