Beef Served At Montana Restaurants Implicated In Deadly E. Coli Outbreak

On Friday, July 26, 2024, the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services and the Flathead City-County Health Department (FCCHD) announced an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 in Flathead County, Montana. One person died and fourteen others fell ill after eating contaminated wagyu beef burgers served at local restaurants. The restaurants received the beef from a local distributor; it was not available in grocery stores and all came from the same lot. All meat from the lot has been pulled from the restaurants. Ground beef is particularly susceptible to E. coli because the bacteria are more likely to spread through the meat during processing. To avoid potential illness, follow food safety tips like cooking ground beef thoroughly and keeping raw meat separate from other foods.

Restaurants Gunsight Saloon, Hops Downtown Grill, Tamarack Brewing Company, the Lodge at Whitefish Lake, and Harbor Grille have all been linked to cases. Three other restaurants, Flathead Fish, the Crawdad Café, and the Flathead Lake Lodge, also received contaminated beef — but there have been no reports of illnesses linked to them.

A report issued by the FCCHD quoted the organization's health officer, Jennifer Rankosky. "We send our condolences to all family and friends that have been affected by this death," Rankosky said. "Our staff continue to work diligently through this investigation and were able to identify a suspect source early to mitigate risks and prevent others from getting sick." In a later report, Rankosky described the restaurants involved as "incredibly cooperative."

According to FCCHD, the last known date of consumption was July 14. The organization states that symptoms of E. coli infections usually appear within one to 10 days, so Montana diners are likely in the clear. However, Montana residents — and anyone who consumes raw beef products — should be aware of symptoms.

Symptoms of an E. coli infection include abdominal cramps, nausea, fatigue, and diarrhea. Symptoms rarely include fever, but different people may present differently. According to the CDC, you should contact your doctor if you develop a fever over 102 degrees F, experience diarrhea or vomiting that lasts more than two days, see blood in your diarrhea, or start to feel dehydrated. Symptoms including unexplained bruising, bloody in the urine, a lack of urination, or "loss of pink color in cheeks and inside the lower eyelids" could indicate hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a potentially fatal condition. These symptoms require immediate medical care.

Children under the age of 5, people who are immunocompromised, and people over the age of 65 are at an increased risk for infection. News site Flathead Beacon reports that the individual who died after eating contaminated beef was over 65.