E. coli outbreak 2015: Costco vegetable supplier for chicken salad recalls product

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Amid the recent E. coli outbreak which is blamed mostly from eating Costco chicken salad, health officials report that a business firm has recalled its supply of produce deemed to be the likely source of contamination as a precautionary measure.

"Taylor Farms Pacific, Inc. of Tracy, CA, is recalling the products...because they may include celery which could potentially contain E. coli 0157:H7, wrote Taylor farms pacific, Inc. in a news release posted in the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) website.

"The products [listed in the post] are being recalled out of an abundance of caution due to a Celery and Onion Diced Blend testing positive for E. coli 0157:H7 in a sample taken by the Montana Department of Health. The Celery and Onion Diced Blend tested by the state of Montana was used in a Costco Rotisserie Chicken Salad that has been linked to a multi-state E. coli 0157:H7 outbreak."

Costco, on the other hand, said that they have immediately refrained from selling the chicken salad in question on Nov. 20 when they were given advisory notice by the federal health officials that the item sold as part of their selection could be the possible source of the E. coli outbreak.

Those infected by the E. coli 0157:H7 bacterium may complain of symptoms of diarrhea, which could be accompanied by bloody stools. According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, there were cases of people who were affected in Montana, Utah, Colorado, California, Missouri, Virginia and Washington State, Reuters reported.

So far, there were no reported cases of fatal casualties from the E. coli outbreak, but there were already 19 people who got sick and hospitalized, two of whom were said to have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, or HUS.

The HUS is one of the complications that may arise from the infection of E. coli 0157:H7 bacterium. It is a type of kidney problem, occurring frequently among young children and the elderly and can lead to serious kidney damage, or in some serious cases, the loss of a patient's life.

Other warning signs of E. coli infection to watch out for apart from diarrhea may also include abdominal cramps, nausea, and vomiting. From the time of contracting the bacteria, the incubation period could take three days or up to a week, wrote NewsMax. The health officials also strongly advised those who purchased chicken salads from any Costco store in the U.S. on or before Nov. 20 to discard the product.