HARTFORD — State health officials are warning residents to avoid
ground beef and other products purchased recently from a
farmer’s market or a Connecticut farm after two state residents
became ill and the slaughterhouse that processed the products
issued a recall.

The two Connecticut residents were hospitalized suffering from
e.coli bacteria and released after treatment.

The Connecticut Department of Public Health and the U.S.
Department of Agriculture said the contamination, which sickened
seven people in four states, was traced to Adams’ Slaughterhouse
in Athol, Massachusetts. The slaughterhouse has recalled veal,
bison and beef products that tested positive for Escherichia,
officials said.

The illnesses started on dates ranging from June 27 to September
4. Those who became sick ranged in age from one years old to 74
years old, with a median age of 25, health officials said. In
addition to those sickened in Connecticut, three people in
Massachusetts and one person in Pennsylvania and West Virginia
become ill.

Ed Maltby, general manager of Adams’ Farm Slaughterhouse, said
none of the meat products were sold to supermarket chains. “We
pride ourselves on being a high-class facility with testing. We
regret that people have gotten sick,” he said.

Maura Downes, a spokeswoman for the state health department,
said on Sunday officials were waiting for the slaughterhouse to
provide a list of places in Connecticut where it sold beef. She
said that list may be available Monday.

Maltby said farmers bring their livestock to his business to be
slaughtered, butchered and packaged. Each package contains a
code that tells when it was slaughtered. Farmers sell the
products at markets or other establishments and cooperatives.

All farmers who had animals slaughtered and processed on the
dates of suspected contamination have been notified, Matlby
said. He said he believes the USDA has taken “excessive
measures” with the recall of hundreds of products, adding the
slaughterhouse’s testing found only two days when meat may be
contaminated.

The state health department is urging consumers with left-over
beef, veal or bison products purchased from farmers’ markets or
a Connecticut farm to check the USDA plant code printed on the
Adams’ label to see if it contains the number 5497, which means
it is included in the recall.

Consumers who do not have access to the original packaging can
contact the farm or retailer where they purchased the meat
directly to determine if the product is included in the recall.

http://www.ctpost.com/news/article/M...ter-two-state-
residents-sickened-9283413.php

--
Escherichia coli is one of the most frequent causes of many
common bacterial infections, including cholecystitis,
bacteremia, cholangitis, urinary tract infection (UTI), and
traveler's diarrhea, and other clinical infections such as
neonatal meningitis and pneumonia.

The genus Escherichia is named after Theodor Escherich, who
isolated the type species of the genus. Escherichia organisms
are gram-negative bacilli that exist singly or in pairs. E coli
is facultatively anaerobic with a type of metabolism that is
both fermentative and respiratory. They are either nonmotile or
motile by peritrichous flagella. E coli is a major facultative
inhabitant of the large intestine.