Panera Possible Culprit In Middlesex County E. Coli Case

A patient in Middlesex County has been sickened by E. Coli bacteria, and new details point to Panera Bread as a possible culprit, according to a report.

There has been a string of E. Coli cases reported in four New Jersey counties: A total of eight cases have been reported, including four in Hunterdon County, two in Somerset County, one in Warren County and one in Middlesex County, the New Jersey Department of Health confirmed to Patch. The department did not specify where exactly the patients lived.

The report comes after the state Department of Health confirmed to Patch that it's investigating at least six E. coli cases in recent weeks that might be associated with an unnamed restaurant chain in at least four New Jersey counties — Somerset, Hunterdon, Warren and Middlesex.

Panera Bread has not returned Patch's multiple requests for comment since Wednesday.

Most of the illnesses occurred toward the end of March, according to DOH spokeswoman Donna Leusner.

The state Health Department is investigating a cluster of E. coli cases potentially from "local Panera Breads," Sarah Perramant, public health epidemiologist in Warren County, told NJ.com.

Specifically, Perramant told NJ.com that the Phillipsburg-based Panera Bread was the one primarily being investigated.