Hamilton E. coli linked to provincial outbreak.

Canwest News Service, Canwest News Service

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HAMILTON - A fifth public health department in Ontario reported Wednesday a case of E. coli linked to the provincewide outbreak that has led to 153 illnesses.

The Hamilton Public Health Service is investigating a confirmed case of the food-borne infection, but it has yet to determine a food establishment from which it might have originated.

Tests from the infected person were positively linked through molecular fingerprinting to cases from Burlington, Kitchener, Guelph, and the Niagara region, Dr. Chris Mackie, Hamilton's associate medical officer of health said Wednesday.

In the other regions, health officials concluded that romaine lettuce was the most likely source of contamination.

The outbreaks led to the temporary closures of three restaurants and cafeterias at a Kitchener high school and at the University of Guelph.

The Ministry of Health has opened an investigation into the outbreak and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency has begun examining its specific sources.

E. coli is an infectious bacterium that can lead to bloody diarrhea, stomach cramps, vomiting, and nausea. In severe cases, it can lead to Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome, which can cause kidney failure and death.

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