E. coli linked to U District restaurant
SEATTLE -- Public health officials say they are investigating two cases of E. coli associated with Memo's Mexican Food in the University District.
The restaurant was not closed and has corrected potential problems.
One person, a King County resident, ate there on Aug. 18 and Aug. 24. The other, who isn't from King County, ate there Aug. 24. Health officials first got reports of illness on Aug. 31.
Testing show both persons had the same strain of bacteria. The strain hadn't been seen in King County before.
The strain is different from the cluster that recently affected several customers of the Matador restaurant in Ballard. The two clusters do not appear to be related, King County Public Health said.
"Our environmental health team performed a field investigation of the restaurant on 9/12/16 and identified factors that may have contributed to this foodborne illness outbreak, including improper cooling, cold holding, reheating of potentially hazardous food and the potential for cross contamination. Because the violations were corrected while the inspectors were on site and there was not a concern for ongoing risk of foodborne illness to the public, the restaurant was not closed. Inspectors will return to the restaurant within 14 days to ensure continued compliance with the corrective measures that were put in place. The restaurant is working cooperatively with Public Health."
Persons who have eaten at Memo’s and developed diarrhea within 10 days and anyone who develops bloody diarrhea should consult with their healthcare provider to determine if testing is necessary.
