Avoiding hamburger disease
Hamburger disease and barbeque syndrome are common names for a type of food poisoning caused by a germ known as verotoxigenic E.coli or VTEC. The germ causes illness by producing a poison that can break down the lining of the intestines and also, in some cases, damage the kidneys.
Most outbreaks of so-called hamburger disease come from eating undercooked, contaminated ground beef (hamburger). But outbreaks have also been reported after eating or drinking unpasteurized milk, cheese or yogurt, cold cuts, unpasteurized apple juice or cider, or water contaminated with the germ. It is more common in the spring and summer than in the winter.
What are the symptoms?
- Severe stomach cramps and bloody diarrhea 1 to 8 days after eating the contaminated food. Diarrhea may be watery without blood. Dehydration is common, due to loss of fluids.
- Fever, if present, is usually mild.
- The illness usually lasts 7 to 10 days.
- A serious complication in children is a type of kidney failure called hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS).
How can the disease be treated?
- Anyone with symptoms of bloody diarrhea, severe vomiting, bad abdominal cramps, or a decrease in urination during a diarrheal illness should see his or her doctor.
- Do not take antidiarrheal medication.
- Do not take antibiotics. Their role is still unclear.
- Drinking small amounts of clear fluids frequently can help prevent dehydration.
How can the disease be prevented?
- Always wash hands before handling food, after handling raw meat products, after using the toilet, after changing a diaper.
- Clean utensils and kitchen work surfaces before and after use.
- Make sure kitchen surfaces where raw meat was prepared are cleaned and sanitized before ready-to-eat foods are placed or prepared on them.
- Put ground meat on the lowest refrigerator rack to avoid juices spilling onto other foods.
- Barbecued or cooked ground meats (hamburger, pork, or chicken patties) should be thoroughly cooked at the centre, not pink or red. Check to ensure this is the case.
- Never order or accept undercooked meat at a restaurant.
- Do not drink unpasteurized milk, apple juice or apple cider, and do not eat unpasteurized cheese.
- Keep cold food cold (less than 4ºC), and hot food hot (above 60ºC).
For more information, see E. coli 0157:H7, other verotoxin-producing Escherichia coli, and hemolytic-uremic syndrome in childhood, ID 95-03, and Advice for parents on hamburger disease/barbecue syndrome, ID 95-04, Canadian Paediatric Society.
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This document was published by the Canadian Paediatric Society.
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Posted by:
Canadian Paediatric Society, September 1996.
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