Beginning in late April 2013 at least 10 people were infected with E. coli O157:H7 after eating at Coco Loco Mexican Restaurant located in College Station, Texas. Five individuals were laboratory confirmed with E. coli O157:H7; five others were not laboratory confirmed with the pathogen but had symptoms clinically consistent with an E. coli O157:H7 infection. Two brothers, Noah and Jack Mellon, were hospitalized. According to media reports the Brazos County Health Department conducted an outbreak investigation, concluding that the source of the outbreak was ground beef served at Coco Loco.
Brazos County Health Department director, Dr. Eric Wilke, was quoted as saying “The two most likely things [as the source of the outbreak] are either someone touched raw meat and then their hands didn’t get clean and they touched other things and that’s how it transmitted bacteria or some meat was undercooked.” Dr. Wilke noted that the restaurant was making changes to improve safety by adding gloves and logs for food temperature.
Marler Clark represents one adult and two children. The children both developed hemolytic uremic syndrome.