The most recent E. coli-related outbreak involves approximately 23,000 pounds of Seltzer\’s Lebanon beef bologna products. On March 22, 2011, Palmyra Bologna Company, Inc. recalled the bologna due to possible contamination with E. coli O157:H7 after the bologna was implicated by state and federal investigations of an E. coli O157 outbreak that has sickened at least 14 people in Maryland (3 cases), New Jersey (2 cases), North Carolina (1 case), Ohio (2 cases) and Pennsylvania (6 cases). These people became ill with E. coli poisoning from the bologna between Jan. 28, 2011 and Feb. 12, 2011.

Some people with E. coli display no symptoms of at all. But, usually, the symptoms of E. coli include a mild fever and nausea or vomiting and diarrhea that may range from mild to severe with abdominal cramps and bloody stools. The stools become bloody because the infection creates sores in the intestines. E. coli is a leading cause of bloody diarrhea. These symptoms are more severe in children, the elderly and in those who have another illness.

The first step in determining if you are part of this bologna E. coli outbreak is to go to the doctor to see if you have an E. coli infection. Once you are diagnosed with E. coli, an additional test needs to be done to determine if you have E. coli O157:H7. If you have been diagnosed with an E. coli O157:H7 infection, a public health laboratory needs to perform a kind of “DNA fingerprinting” on your E. coli O157 laboratory sample. This “DNA fingerprinting” is called pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Investigators will then determine whether the PFGE pattern of E. coli O157 bacteria from you is the same as that from other people who have contracted E. coli O157 after eating the bologna. If so, you are part of this outbreak.

The microbiological and epidemiological evidence gathered by a health department or the CDC is extremely valuable. It can be used in an E. coli lawsuit against the parties responsible for the contamination of the food product and the sale and distribution of the contaminated product.

E. coli poisoning has many serious health risks, including:

Abnormal kidney function (due to damaged red blood cells that clog the tiny blood vessels in the kidneys, making it more difficult to remove wastes and extra fluid from the blood)
Blindness
Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS) – Kidney Failure (a condition where the formation of thrombi, tiny blood clots, results in the destruction of red blood cells)
Hemorrhagic Colitis (a disease characterized by abdominal cramps and watery, bloody diarrhea)
High blood pressure
Paralysis
Seizures
Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (a condition where too many platelets in the bloodstream are destroyed)
Death

If you are part of this outbreak, you have the right to pursue an E. coli lawsuit to recover pain and suffering, emotional distress, and your economic losses, which may include medical expenses and lost wages. More importantly a lawsuit can help you recover future losses associated with the serious risks of E. coli poisoning.

Author Bio: The E. coli lawyers at PritzkerOlsen, P.A. are investigating this Palmyra Lebanon bologna E. coli outbreak. They litigate foodborne illness cases nationwide and have won millions for victims of E.coli food poisoning. For more information, please see our E. coli lawyer blog.

Category: Wellness, Fitness and Diet
Keywords: E. coli lawyer, E. coli lawsuit, Palmyra Lebanon bologna E. coli outbreak, ecoli food poisoning, HUS