Health officials unable to pinpoint source of E. coli in McAlister's Deli case

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Local health officials are still unable to pinpoint a specific source of the E. coli bacteria that sickened nine people last month. Officials did find that McAlister's Deli was a "common link" in the food histories of most of the people who got sick, but couldn't narrow down the source further, said Donna King, health promotion and education services division director for the county health department. "We did not find a food worker that was sick and we did not find a particular food item that was a common link," King said. Although the cause of the outbreak has not been discovered, McAlister's nevertheless changed its produce suppliers following the illnesses, said restaurant manager Brian Baker.  The restaurant has "not really" seen a drop in business in the weeks following the outbreak, which was reported in early November; however, business decreased "just slightly" in the day or two after the county health department announced the deli's link to the cases, Baker said. The county health department has completed its study of the outbreak, and will submit a final report on the case this week. Health officials had conducted extensive interviews with those who were affected to find out what they had eaten prior to getting sick. Those who became sick developed symptoms of gastroenteritis. The illness causes severe diarrhea, abdominal cramps and, occasionally, can result in more serious complications, especially in young children and the elderly. The bacteria usually makes people sick within 10 days of exposure. Most of the people who got sick ate at McAlister's between October 23 and 25. The deli received a grade of 91, out of a possible 102 points, after the county's Oct. 24 food inspections. McAlister's, a chain which has branches in about 20 states, specializes in sandwiches, salads and stuffed potatoes.