E. coli O157, unpasteurized milk - USA (CA)

International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>

Source: CBS2.com [edited]
< http://cbs2.com/topstories/local_story_265141944.html>


Tainted milk has infected people with _E. coli_ [O157:H7] bacteria,
prompting a recall of some milk products, health officials said Fri,
22 Sep 2006.

Those infected got sick after drinking unpasteurized milk produced by
Organic Pastures, a Fresno County, California dairy, according to the
San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency.

An 8-year-old San Diego County girl, a Riverside County boy, 7, and a
10-year-old girl in San Bernardino County got sick after drinking the
contaminated milk.

The state has ordered all Organic Pastures whole and skim raw milk to
be pulled immediately from stores and consumers were encouraged to
throw away any of the milk in their refrigerators. The recall order
also affects raw cream and raw colostrum made by the dairy.

Organic Pastures has been prohibited from producing raw milk for the
retail market until further notice, officials said.

The _E. coli_ outbreak was limited to raw, or unpasteurized milk,
county health officials said. Most milk consumed in California is
pasteurized, which reduces the risk of getting a bacterial illness.

_Escherichia coli_ O157:H7 is just one of a number of infections
that can be transmitted to humans from unpasteurized milk or dairy
products. These include _Salmonella sp_ and _Campylobacter sp_, both
of which may be multi-drug resistant, as well as staphylococcal food
poisoning, Q fever, listeriosis, brucellosis, and bovine
tuberculosis. In addition, Brainerd diarrhea, a chronic diarrheal
process of unknown etiology, is also associated with raw milk ingestion.

All of the above infections are zoonoses, spread from animal to
humans. Shigellosis can also be spread by unpasteurized dairy
products but is not a zoonosis, except when related to primates.
Since pasteurized milk has been found not to transmit shigellosis,
the contamination must occur prior to pasteurization.

People who consume unpasteurized milk and milk products might believe
that these products taste better, provide greater nutrition than
pasteurized products, and/or decrease the risk for various medical
conditions (1), but the benefits of consuming unpasteurized milk and
milk products have never been validated scientifically (2).

Just as it is with the transfusion of human blood, ingestion of
unpasteurized milk is a hazard that can result in illness severe
enough to be fatal.

Obtaining a license to sell raw milk may legitimize this cottage
industry but does not remove the risk of infection. "Certified"
unpasteurized milk from a "licensed" dairy remains inherently unsafe.
It is certified to be unpasteurized, not to be safe.

1. Headrick ML, Badgaleh T, Klontz KC, Werner SB. Profile of raw milk
consumers in California. Public Health Rep 1997; 112: 418-22.

2. Potter ME, Kaufmann AF, Blake PA, Feldman RA. Unpasteurized milk:
the hazards of a health fetish. JAMA 1984; 252: 2048-52. - Mod.LL]