# 5998
Little noticed by the public, since it happened more or less at the same time as the emergence of 2009’s H1N1 virus, was a multistate outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O157:H7.
Although more people were likely infected and experienced only minor symptoms, 77 patients with E. coli related illness were identified across 30 states.
Of these, 35 were hospitalized, and 10 developed HUS (Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome), a serious form of kidney failure. The victims were predominantly female (71%), and under the age of 19 (66%)
The CDC’s investigation (see archived details) determined:
Preliminary results of this investigation indicate a strong association with eating raw prepackaged cookie dough. Most patients reported eating refrigerated prepackaged Nestle Toll House cookie dough products raw.
This was the first time that the consumption of raw cookie dough had been associated with E. coli infection.
Nestle instituted a voluntary recall, while the FDA and CDC warned consumers not to eat any varieties of prepackaged Nestle Toll House refrigerated cookie dough. They warned that those with products on hand should discard them, rather than cooking them, as consumers might get the bacteria on their hands and on other cooking surfaces.
Fast forward 2 1/2 years and we have a study from the IDSA – embargoed until midnight last night – that warns of the dangers of eating raw cookie dough and recommends that manufacturers find ways to make it safer.
The 8 page PDF file is available at the link below.
Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Infectious Diseases Society of America 2011.
DOI: 10.1093/cid/cir831Karen P. Neil,Gwen Biggerstaff, J. Kathryn MacDonald, Eija Trees, Carlota Medus, Kimberlee A. Musser, Steven G. Stroika, Don Zink, and Mark J. Sotir
Although the contaminated ingredient in this recalled batch of cookie dough was never conclusively identified, flour – which does not undergo a `kill step’ to rid it of pathogens – was strongly suspected.
We’ve a press release on all of this from the IDSA, excerpts of which you’ll find below.
Ready-to-bake cookie dough not ready-to-eat, study of E. coli outbreak finds
Consumer education and manufacturing changes may help prevent illness
[EMBARGOED FOR DEC. 9, 2011] The investigation of a 2009 multistate outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), an important cause of bacterial gastrointestinal illness, led to a new culprit: ready-to-bake commercial prepackaged cookie dough. Published in Clinical Infectious Diseases and available online, a new report describing the outbreak offers recommendations for prevention, including a stronger message for consumers: Don't eat prepackaged cookie dough before it's baked.
<SNIP>
The study authors conclude that "foods containing raw flour should be considered as possible vehicles of infection of future outbreaks of STEC." Manufacturers should consider using heat-treated or pasteurized flour, in ready-to-cook or ready-to-bake foods that may be consumed without cooking or baking, despite label statements about the danger of such risky eating practices, the authors conclude. In addition, manufacturers should consider formulating ready-to-bake prepackaged cookie dough to be as safe as a ready-to-eat food item.
Eating raw cookie dough is apparently a popular culinary choice, based on the results of a Google search with the terms `eating raw cookie dough’.
You’ll find abundant questionable `advice’ on the safety of this practice, including instructions on how to make `safe to eat’ raw cookie dough by eliminating `raw eggs’.
Much of this counsel needs to be taken with a pinch of salt (and a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes), since eggs aren’t the only potential source of contamination.
Since the 1980s more than 180 outbreaks of E coli have been reported across the United States from a variety of sources. This past summer, more than 4,000 people across Europe were sickened, and roughly 50 killed, by an E. coli outbreak traced to sprouts.
For more on how to avoid E. coli infection, and what to do if you are affected, visit foodsafety.gov’s E. coli webpage.
http://www.foodsafety.gov/poisoning/causes/bacteriaviruses/ecoli/
