CANADA: Cdn officials probing 45 E. coli cases linked to U.S. meat-related outbreak

04.nov.07
Canadian Press
Clint Thomas

Barfblog

TORONTO -- While an investigation has yet to confirm a link, Canadian health and food safety inspectors have not, according to this story, yet ruled out a possible connection between contaminated meat from an Alberta-based facility and a fatal summer E. coli outbreak in this country.
Canadian Food Inspection Agency recall specialist Garfield Balsom was quoted as saying in an interview Sunday from Ottawa that, "These cases had the same unique genetic pattern associated with it" but that scientific confirmation the illnesses were linked to meat from Rancher's Beef Ltd. of Balzac, Alta. can't be made at this point.
"The linkage we had made with Rancher's was not associated with the illnesses, or any source of the illnesses that occured this summer. There was nothing common that could link us back to a particular source for that outbreak."
A CFIA release on Oct. 26 was cited as saying that a total of 46 cases of E. coli illness scattered across the country were reported between July and September.
Data from Quebec's Agriculture, Fisheries and Food ministry shows 21 of those cases were in Quebec, with 10 in Ontario, seven in B.C., five in New Brunswick, two in Saskatchewan and one unlocated. Eleven people were hospitalized and one elderly person in Quebec died.
Balsom was further cited as saying the Canadian cases have been linked to the same E.coli strain (O157:H7) that led to a September recall of Topps Meat Co. in the U.S. and sickened 40 people in eight states, and he is not ruling out a possible link between Rancher's and the Canadian outbreak, saying investigations into both cases are ongoing, stating, "We're going back and reviewing some of the information, the illness data to see if we can trace forward that."
Alain Desroches, a spokesman for the Public Health Agency of Canada confirms suspicion of a connection to Rancher's products remains legitimate, stating, "Are all of these cases of illness linked to Rancher's? We don't know that yet. We just know that the same strain has been associated with meat found there. Investigation is complex and involves laboratory testing of 11 different subtypes of E. coli."
Over the weekend, Canadian officials identified more outlets where potentially contaminated Rancher's beef, steaks and roasts - now subject to recall - were sold between June and August this year. So far, they total 19 and stretch from B-C to Ontario.
The CFIA insists the affected products are likely no longer available for sale, but consumers who may still have them in their freezers should not consume them. The agency also says there have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of these products.
Meantime, U.S. regulators have tightened restrictions on meat and poultry products from Canada because of concerns about testing practices at Rancher's.
Starting next week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service will increase testing of Canadian meat and poultry for salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes and E. coli O157:H7, and plans to audit the Canadian food safety system.
The inspection service will require that shipments be held up until testing is done and the green light is given.