Just Say No to Abuse Declaring War on Terrorism. About 73,000 people report being infected with this bacterium and 61 deaths occur in the United States each year due to this bacterium.
Infection often leads to bloody diarrhea, and occasionally to kidney failure.
Most infections with this bacteria have been associated with eating undercooked, contaminated ground beef. Studies have not been able to show where exactly this bacterium lives when in the animal's intestines. So few organisms are present in the cattle it makes it very difficult to detect. Unfortunately, even though it is a short term inhabitant it can take several weeks to months before this organism is eliminated from cattle. When hamburger is made the meat is ground up thus mixing the bacteria on the surface meat all throughout the hamburger.