Dairy Farm Raided in Tennessee

The Health department and deputies raided McBee Dairy Farm in Mascot, Tennessee after after an outbreak of the E coli bacteria. Several Children were sickened by the E coli and three children were hospitalized. In the most severe cases E coli  can cause kidney failure.

Consumers have been advised to stop drinking the raw cow and goat milk from that farm. The Knox County Health Department is contacting anyone who may have purchased these products. Raw milk sales are legal in Tennessee, as long as the consumer “owns” the cow through cow-share agreements.

E coli, Campylobacter, Salmonella, and Listeria bacteria can be found in raw milk. Those at greatest risk for serious illness from these bacteria include the very young, elderly, pregnant women, and those with chronic illnesses and compromised immune systems. From 1998 to 2011, there have been 148 outbreaks linked to raw milk, sickening 2,384 people and causing 284 hospitalizations and two deaths.

Unfortunately, 82% of those outbreaks involved at least one person younger than the age of 20. And since many food poisoning cases are not reported, the actual number of illness associated with raw milk is most likely higher than those numbers. Since the bacteria are not evenly distributed in raw milk, and the presence of the bacteria is unpredictable, some people never get sick when they consume unpasteurized milk, while others may get sick the first time they try it.

Patrol cars lined the farm's driveway Thursday as investigators collected samples from the cattle and their milk, trying to find where the E. coli outbreak came from.

"We were aware of it and our customers have all been made aware of it several times," said owner Marcie McBee.

No one can purchase raw cow or goat milk from the farm after a cease and desist order was issued. The owner is now defending her farm, which produces 450 gallons of milk per week.

"Our goal is to keep our customers safe," added McBee. “We advised everyone to stop drinking their milk and hold it until we got our testing back,"

Knox County Health officials saying diet is the common thread with these children.

"In children, in particular, if they get E. coli and the symptoms would be fever, vomiting, and diarrhea. They can kind of have a mild case and then in a few days they can get really sick," said Knox County Health Director Martha Buchanan.

McBee is hoping to have the dairy open in about a week after the problems have been rectified