E. Coli Bacteria Confirmed

LOCUST GROVE, OK -- The state health department has confirmed investigators found E. coli bacteria in several patient specimens as part of its investigation into an outbreak of severe diarrhea in Mayes County. News On 6 anchor Terry Hood reports the state is saying at least 41 people have been hospitalized, most of those at Saint Francis where four children remain in intensive care.

The results come four days after a surprise inspection found two major problems at a Locust Grove restaurant.

For the second day in a row the Country Cottage stayed voluntarily closed. State health officials have been looking at the popular Mayes County restaurant as the source of an E. coli outbreak.

Wednesday afternoon the results were in, confirming at least 10 patients had a dangerous form of the bacteria in their system.

Thirteen children are being treated at the Children's Hospital at Saint Francis, one as young as two years old.

The first case was reported Friday night, on Saturday the state health department conducted a surprise inspection of the restaurant. The documents, obtained by the News On 6, show several violations deemed serious by investigators.

In one case they found corn muffin mix, bologna and cheese stored in 50-degree temperatures in a cooler when it should have been 41 degrees. They also found chicken in a warmer that tested at 115-degrees, the state requires the temperature to be 135-degrees.

Inspectors also found uncovered fish in a walk-in-cooler.

Ten months ago, in October 2007, inspectors found the same violation with the fish, uncovered in a walk-in-cooler.

The state health department warns this type of E. coli can spread among family members who may not have eaten at the restaurant. They advise to always wash your hands before eating or after using the restroom.

Doctors say it could be several weeks before the victims in this case are fully recovered.

The state health department believes it has contained this outbreak, but because of the restaurants popularity, they have sent warnings to surrounding states.

Meanwhile, a town wide prayer vigil will be held Thursday night in honor of the victims. That service is at Jubilee Ministry at 6 p.m.

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The following is a statement being issued on behalf of the family-owned Country Cottage restaurant, following the latest developments:

First, we would like to thank the Oklahoma State Health Department for working so diligently to find the cause of this illness. While we are relieved to finally know what has caused so many of our friends and neighbors to become ill, there are still many unanswered questions, such as what the source of this illness may be.

While we feel somewhat relieved in knowing what the cause is, it is difficult to put into words how heartbroken and distraught we are for our entire community, including our close friends and neighbors who are sick or those who have relatives who are sick. We are devastated and shocked beyond belief. We never thought our community would be faced with something like this. Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with everyone who has been affected by this illness.

We will keep the restaurant voluntarily closed as we continue to do everything we can to help the Health Department with its ongoing investigation.

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News Release from the Oklahoma Department Of Health:

The Oklahoma State Department of Health's public health laboratory has found a type of E. coli bacteria in 10 patient specimens tested as part of its ongoing investigation into a severe diarrheal outbreak in northeastern Oklahoma.

"E. coli is a common bacteria that lives in the intestines of animals and people. Many strains are harmless. However, our laboratory results indicate that we are dealing with an unusual type of E. coli that produces two different types of toxins. These toxins are responsible for the very severe disease that we are seeing in many persons sickened by this outbreak," said State Epidemiologist Dr. Kristy Bradley.

"Now that we have confirmed that this is an E. coli outbreak, this information will help guide physicians in patient care and treatment," she said. Antibiotics and anti-diarrheal medicines are not recommended for treating E. coli. State health officials will send their laboratory specimens to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for further analysis.

Bradley said this type of E. coli outbreak provides the potential for persons with diarrheal illness to spread it to family household members or close contacts. "Only a few bacteria can make a person sick and these bacteria can be easily transmitted person-to-person if infected persons do not wash their hands after using the toilet or changing diapers," she said.

Bradley also emphasized the importance of washing hands before, during and after meal preparation. "Persons with diarrhea should not prepare meals," she said.

To date, at least 41 persons have been hospitalized and one person has died. The incubation period from time of exposure to this type of bacteria to becoming ill can be as short as two days or as long as 10 days.

"While we cannot predict at this point how long this outbreak will continue, we believe we have prevented the spread of any further cases that may have been connected to eating at Country Cottage at Locust Grove, OK," Bradley said.  

The restaurant continues to remain voluntarily closed Wednesday while the outbreak investigation continues.

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