An outbreak of Escherichia coli O157:H7 infection associated with unpasteurized non-commercial, custom-pressed apple cider--Ontario, 1998.

On 28 October 1998, the Perth District Health Unit received two reports of Escherichia coli O157:H7 infection presenting as bloody diarrhea, in an unrelated child and a young adult from opposite ends of Perth County. The public-health inspector found that the only risk factor for each person was consumption of unpasteurized apple cider. In the child’s family, a sibling and the child’s mother were also ill; all had consumed cider from their grandparents’ farm. The young adult had received his cider from someone at work. Through further inquiries, it was learned that it also originated from the same source. An investigation into the cider and its recipients was carried out.