E. coli outbreak in Seattle brings closure of Mexican restaurant

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The Matador, a Mexican restaurant in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood, was shut down on Friday, Sept. 9, as an imminent health hazard and for being the target of an investigation into a local outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli infections.

Public Health — Seattle & King County ordered the closure by suspending the restaurant’s food permit. The agency first reported the outbreak on Aug. 14 in a statement posted on its website that has since been updated.

The largest food safety agency in Washington state said The Matador is associated with an outbreak dating back to last month that has sickened five people.

Three of the five were hospitalized, and one developed the sometimes fatal kidney disease known as hemolytic uremic syndrome. All five people have since recovered.

Four of the five who were sickened dined at The Matador on Aug. 14, and the fifth outbreak victim ate at the popular Mexican restaurant on Aug. 22. The first illnesses were reported to public health officials on Aug. 22 and the most recent one was reported on Sept. 6.

Seattle & King County public health officials are awaiting results of laboratory testing before naming the strain of E. coli that caused the inflections.

Initial inspection of The Matador found some faulty equipment and the possibility for cross-contamination of food during handling.

The Matador has been cited 10 times since 2010 for food handling practices which might pose a higher risk of foodborne disease. Six of the 10 involved failure to keep food at sufficiently cold temperatures to prevent bacterial growth.

Shiga toxin-producing E. coli can cause bloody diarrhea and stomach cramps with mild or no fever. Children, the elderly, and people with compromised immune systems are most threatened by the pathogen.

BY NEWS DESK