State test results of lettuce thought to be linked to an outbreak of E. Coli infections in St. Louis County have come back negative, but officials say a caterer’s food is still on their radar.
Health officials have reported that 106 people, including students from Rockwood Summit High School and adults from the community, have been confirmed as outbreak patients. The patients attended five separate events catered by Andre’s Banquet Center. Patients attended two school band events, two funerals and a veterans event catered by the business.
When the outbreak was first reported on Nov. 14 there were 14 patients.
Tests run by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services detected no traces of E. coli in an unopened package of iceberg lettuce collected at Andre’s Banquet Center. However, the business is not yet in the clear.
“A negative test result for the lettuce does not conclusively rule out the salad as the source of the E. coli outbreak,” according to a statement from the St. Louis County Health Department said.
“This is because bacteria like E. coli often occur in isolated pockets within food products, making it possible for a sampling event to miss the pathogen entirely . . . A negative result does not necessarily indicate the absence of the bacteria or eliminate Andre’s as a potential source.”
As of Nov. 21, county hospitals reported that two of the outbreak patients had developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, or HUS, a rare but serious disease that can occur as a complication of an E. coli infection. The disease affects the body’s blood clotting system and can lead to kidney failure.
John Armengol Jr., owner of Andre’s, released a statement following the announcement of the negative test result:
“While I am relieved to learn of the Missouri State Public Health Laboratory’s negative test results, I will continue to cooperate with the state and local health departments as they now work to determine the source of E. coli that has caused illnesses in the region and which has resulted in individuals who did not attend any events affiliated with Andre’s contracting E Coli.”
The county health director said the source of the E. Coli was not from a school cafeteria.
“One thing I can say is it’s not a cafeteria-related event,” St. Louis County Health Director Kanika Cunningham said. “It was an off-site event, and we’re working with that particular entity and working with that location to identify the source.”