According to the Orlando Sentinel, an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness has sickened several dozen guests at the Orlando World Center Marriott. Guests who were sickened stayed at the hotel and attended a conference between June 29 and July 7.
Public health officials at the Orange County Health Department think it is too early to tell whether the illnesses were food poisoning or caused by a virus such as norovirus. Most of those sickened were adults. One employee and several children have also experienced symptoms of the illness.
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) is investigating 13 cases of foodborne illness associated with a type of E. colibacteria known as E. coli O111. This form of E. coli is in the same family as the more well-known E. coli O157:H7. All of the illnesses were caused by the same genetic strain of E. coli O111, and the ill people do not all share any obvious commonalities; these facts indicate the illnesses resulted from a widely distributed food item.
While seven of the people with E. coli O111 infections reported eating at Applebee’s restaurants in Minnesota between June 24 and 27, there are multiple cases with no apparent connection to the restaurant.
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