More Than 97,000 Pounds of Salad Recalled over E. coli Fears Amid Multi-State Outbreak

Thousands of pounds of salad products are immediately recalled because of possible E. coli bacteria contamination in lettuce. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced this last Tuesday for public safety.

A company in New Jersey, Missa Bay, LLC, recalled for 97,272 pounds of salad products with meat or any poultry as per the statement given by USDA.

The sudden pull-out of items was classified by USDA as high. After the tests, the department will update the status of the E. coli affected products as soon as the information becomes available.

The recall comes during a multiple state-wide occurrence of E. coli infections. This was according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Seventeen people from eight states are infected with E. coli, seven of which need immediate hospitalization. These are the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Maryland, Montana, Washington, and Wisconsin.

Good news that there are no reported cases of fatality from E. coli infection or outbreaks previously announced.

The Maryland Department of Health found E. coli bacteria in an unopened package of Ready Pac Foods Bistro Chicken Caesar Salad. The product was collected from the patient's home in Maryland.

All products from the same batch of lettuce are recalled by Missa Bay.

The recalled products were processed from Oct. 14, through Oct. 16 and were shipped throughout different states to Alabama, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia and Wisconsin.

Investigators are now doing different tests to corroborate if the sample E.coli found in the Ready Pac Foods Bistro Chicken Caesar Salad match the bacteria found in infected patient named E. coli 0157:H7.

This is the full list of E. coli recalled products.

What is E. coli?

E. coli or "Escherichia coli" is a type of bacteria that can normally be found on intestines. It also lives in the gut of animals.

There are many types of E. coli bacteria and most of them are harmless and even improve the health of your digestive tract. But some bad kinds of E. coli can easily cause diarrhea, usually from contaminated food or drinking water.

Food poisoning is not the only thing that you can get from E. coli. You can also experience pneumonia and urinary tract infections from different types of the bacteria itself. Almost 90% of urinary tract infections are caused by E. coli.

The most common bad type of these bacteria is O157:H7. It can make you very sick. It causes abdominal cramps, fever, vomiting, bloody diarrhea, confusion, and seizure. It is the main cause of acute kidney failure in children.

Should you experience any of the given symptoms, immediately consult your doctor. If initial diagnosis is fine but you still feel ill, then it's better to seek for second opinion. Bacteria can easily conquer our body so better be preventive and responsible of your health.