Lorain County Health Commissioner Kenneth Pearce told the Morning Journal that his agency is investigating whether a case of E. coli infecting a Columbia Station woman is connected to the national cases.
The recent E. coli outbreak has killed one person and made more than 100 ill across the country, according to reports. Seven cases have been confirmed in central and southern Ohio. Pearce said the local case was reported Sept. 5, before the national alert was made Wednesday.
Investigators will also collect samples of the E. coli DNA, which will be sent to the Ohio Department of Health, Pearce said. Strains of the disease vary, and the DNA will be tested to see if it matches E. coli from victims of the tainted spinach.