Unpasteurized, unlabeled apple cider is thought to be the source of a series of E. coli infections that have recently cropped up in Antrim County, Michigan.The Health Department of Northwest Michigan, along with the Michigan Departments of Agriculture and Rural Development and Community Health is currently investigating the cases. Health officials have collected samples from patient stools and the suspected apple cider to see whether bacteria isolated from each have the same genetic fingerprint.
The cider was produced locally by an unlicensed facility and lacked the required labels indicating that it was unpasteurized, says the Health Department of Northern Michigan.
Joshua Meyerson, the Department’s Medical Director, says cider – whether pasteurized or unpasteurized – should only be purchased from a licensed vendor.
Symptoms of an E. coli infection usually appear between 3 and 10 days after infection, and include, nausea, abdominal cramps, diarrhea – sometimes bloody – and vomiting.
“Anyone experiencing abdominal pain and worsening or bloody diarrhea, especially those who may have recently consumed unpasteurized apple cider from an unknown or unlicensed source, should contact a physician,” advises the health department in its press release.
