Five people became sick, including four who were hospitalized, after eating food at a teriyaki restaurant in Bellevue. Three other individuals who didn't eat at the restaurant also became sick with a similar strain of bacteria.
Public Health - Seattle & King County issued a notice Monday saying it was investigating an outbreak of E. coli at Tokyo Stop Teriyaki, a restaurant in the Lake Hills neighborhood of Bellevue. The county said it was likely the five people became sick from contaminated food at the restaurant, which has reopened after meeting health department requirements.
An investigator for the public health department told the owner of Tokyo Stop Teriyaki last week that they suspect the source of E. coli was outside of the restaurant.
After further ill cases have been found (including out-of-state cases), we think that the contaminated product may be coming from the source/supplier," wrote Lana Johnson in an email on Thursday.
The county said another person in King County and two people outside Washington state became sick with a similar strain of E. coli who did not eat at Tokyo Stop Teriyaki and the investigation is ongoing.
A county spokesperson said DNA fingerprint testing of E. coli should be interpreted with caution and that matching sequences indicate a common source is likely, but not certain.
"It is possible that there are multiple sources, or that the outbreak is due to a contaminated food product that was served at Tokyo Stop and elsewhere, county spokesperson Kate Cole said in an email.
Tokyo Stop Teriyaki was not immediately available for comment.
Public health employees visited the restaurant on Dec. 13 and found problems like raw meat and vegetables being washed too close together, as well as kitchenware used for raw meat not being sanitized properly.
The county had ordered the restaurant to close Dec. 12 and allowed it to reopen three days later after it confirmed cleaning was being done properly, following required food safety procedures.
The customers who became sick reported nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps, diarrhea and fever after eating at the restaurant between Nov. 24 and Nov. 26. They have since recovered.
The county says anyone who ate at Tokyo Stop Teriyaki in November or December and developed similar symptoms should go to its website and fill out a survey, which staff members say could help them identify the potential source of E. coli infections and prevent future outbreaks.
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