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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Source Of E. Coli Outbreak Linked To Meat Shipment

Associated Press

One of the sources of an E. coli outbreak apparently was contaminated meat shipped to a Burger King restaurant from a federally inspected meat processing plant, Missoula City-County Health Department officials said Saturday.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is recalling a specific lot of ground beef because a sample of it tested positive for E. coli 0157:H7. None of it was sold on the retail market.

The ground beef sample was taken from a Missoula Burger King restaurant after a person who tested positive for E. coli reported eating a number of meals at the restaurant.

Ellen Leahy, health officer, said only 4 of the 26 people in western Montana with confirmed E. coli illnesses ate ground beef at any of the three Burger King outlets in Missoula.

“It remains likely that another source of contamination is involved in the recent E. coli outbreak,” she said.

The meat was produced on June 20 at an unidentified plant and distributed to fast food outlets in Montana and other states.

A July 20 inspection at the restaurant revealed no existing foodhandling problems, local officials said. However, subsequent checks suggested there were times when cooking temperatures were inadequate to destroy E. coli in ground beef. Burger King corrected the problem even before the health department knew about it, Leahy said.

She said Burger King is complying with a precautionary order to record temperatures in burgers every 30 minutes.

Health officials said previously that produce also was a prime suspect because some vegetarians tested positive for E. coli.