Alberta Health Services says there are now nearly 30 cases of a serious parasitic infection in connection with an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness at a restaurant at a southern Alberta business last month. AHS says as of Aug. 1, there are 49 probable cases of E. coli among customers who ate at the Saskatoon Farm, east of Okotoks, between July 1 and 18. The agency says among those patients, there have been 29 cases of Entamoeba histolytica (E. histolytica) infections. One person remains in hospital in connection with the outbreak while two other patients have been released. According to Health Canada, E. histolytica is a worldwide pathogen and the second leading cause of parasitic death. “It infects an estimated 500 million people per year, causes liver abscess and colitis in 50 million, and results in death of an estimated 40,000-100,000 individuals annually,” the government’s website says. Infections are more common in tropical and subtropical areas, such as Mexico, South and West Africa, western South America and South Asia, Health Canada says. Saskatoon Farm restaurant remains closed According to the latest inspection report of the restaurant at Saskatoon Farm, which was conducted on July 29, AHS said two violations were found. Those included the presence of pests in the restaurant and “a practice or condition at this food establishment is creating a nuisance.” Officials said a live mouse was seen in the Saskatoon Farm bakery at the time of the inspection. No further information was provided by AHS about the “nuisance” present at the business.
