More people are sick in an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 infections linked to raw cheddar cheese from Raw Farm LLC.
More than half of the nine patients are children younger than 5 years old, according to the Food and Drug Administration. Three of the patients have required hospitalization and one has developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a serious condition that can cause kidney failure, brain damage and death.
Of eight people for whom epidemiological information is available, seven reported eating Raw Farm brand cheddar cheese made with raw, unpasteurized milk. The eighth patient also reported eating raw milk cheddar cheese, but could not recall what brand. Pasteurization is a heat process that warms milk for 15 seconds to kill harmful bacteria such as E. coli, Salmonella and Listeria.
Whole genome sequencing of bacteria from the outbreak patients shows that they were all infected with the same strain of E. coli, meaning that they share a common source. The FDA reports that raw milk cheese from Raw Farm dairy is the most likely source of the bacteria.
Seven of the sick people live in California, with one each living in Texas and Florida. Illnesses began in September 2025 with two patients identified. The other seven became sick in 2026 with the most recent having illness onset on Feb. 20.
The FDA has requested that the dairy recall its raw milk cheddar cheese, but the dairy owners have refused to do so.
FDA investigators, along with California officials, are inspecting the dairy.