E. coli O157:H7

A virulent form of E. coli -- O157:H7 -- is involved in an outbreak of soy nut butter.

(Janice Carr)

An E. coli outbreak in five states, including Oregon, has put children in the hospital and made several seriously ill.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an alert on Friday, saying that the outbreak is most likely caused by I.M. Healthy SoyNut Butter. I.M. Healthy granola coated with SoyNut Butter could also be contaminated, the CDC said.

Health officials warned the public and schools, day care centers and other institutions not to serve these products. They said even if someone has eaten the soy nut butters and not gotten sick, the products should be put in sealed trash bags and thrown away to ensure that animals or children can't get to them.

The strain of E. coli involved in the outbreak -- O157:H7 -- is potentially deadly.

I.M. Healthy SoyNut Butter

So far, 12 patients have been identified since Jan. 6, and all but one are children. Six people have been hospitalized, including four with kidney failure. Two of the patients live in Oregon, with four each in California and Arizona; there is also one each in New Jersey and Maryland.

The outbreak is not over and the number of patients sickened is likely to grow.

The CDC alert came a day after a company recall. The SoyNut Butter Co. announced on Twitter it was pulling all of its I.M. Healthy Original Creamy SoyNut Butter with the best buy date 08-30-18 or 08-31-18.

The company said it is in the process of testing for the pathogen.



The Food and Drug Administration is working on the investigation with the CDC. It posted a recall notice on Friday afternoon, saying that federal officials alerted SoyNut Butter Co. about the outbreak on Thursday. Its investigation is focused on determining how the bug got into the butter. E. coli and many other harmful pathogens are killed by high heat.

State health officials have interviewed nine people so far. Five of them said they had eaten the soy nut butter at home and the other four consumed the products at a childcare center.

-- Lynne Terry