300 Marine recruits sickened in E. coli outbreak

Recruits are pictured at Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego, where more than 300 cases of E. coli have been reported. (Fox 5 San Diego)

An E. coli outbreak has sickened approximately 300 at Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego and several others at Camp Pendleton training grounds, with at least 10 patients requiring care at an off-campus hospital. The outbreak, which began last week, has not impacted training regimens at the base, officials said.

“Our immediate focus is identifying, isolating and treating recruits who present symptoms,” Brig. Gen. William Jurney, commanding general of MCRD San Diego said, according to Fox 5 San Diego. “We are working to identify the cause of the sickness, making sure our affected recruits can return to training as soon as possible and continuing training for recruits not influenced.”

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USMC officials have urged recruits and personnel to look out for symptoms and to isolate patients, as well as take extra sanitary measures as a precaution. Officials said family members will be contacted if a recruit’s graduation date is impacted due to missed training, Fox 5 San Diego reported.