Snohomish County Health confirms E.coli infection linked to raw-milk cheese

The Snohomish County Health Department has identified a case of E. coli connected to Twin Sisters Creamery cheese. This case appears to be connected to a cluster of at least 10 E. coli cases linked to Twin Sisters Creamery cheese in Washington and Oregon states. The company is based in Ferndale, Wash. All cases report illness onsets before the cheese was recalled on Oct. 24, 2025. 

Washington State Department of Health is working with local, state, Oregon Health Authority and federal public health partners to investigate shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) infections linked to consumption of aged, raw-milk cheese.

Local, state, and federal partners continue to investigate the source of illness for outbreak-related cases and additional products may be recalled or identified as a possible source of infection in the future.

Company Recall Notice: Twin Sisters Creamery Recalls Whatcom Blue, Farmhouse, Peppercorn, and Mustard Seed Cheese Products Because of Possible Health Risk | FDA

The health department advises the following:

• Do not eat any recalled Whatcom Blue, Farmhouse, Peppercorn and Mustard Seed varieties of Twin Sisters Creamery cheese.  Check your refrigerators or freezers for this brand and variety of cheese and throw them away.
  • If there is no “Made On” date or Batch Code on the cheese packaging, throw them away.
  • People should discard any remaining Twin Sisters cheeses due to difficulty identifying batch information on remaining packages.
• Wash items and surfaces that may have touched the cheese using hot soapy water or a dishwasher.
• Contact your health care provider right away if you have any of these severe symptoms:
  • Diarrhea and a fever higher than 102°F
  • Diarrhea for more than three days that is not improving.
  • Bloody diarrhea
  • So much vomiting that you cannot keep liquids down.
• The following people should avoid consuming any type of cheese made with unpasteurized (raw) milk unless heated to 165° F or until steaming hot:
  • People who are pregnant
  • Newborns
  • People aged 65 years and older
  • People who have weakened immune systems because they:
    • were notified by a health care provider that they have a weakened immune system
    • have a health condition that weakens the immune system such as cancer, diabetes, liver or kidney disease, alcoholism, HIV infection or AIDS.
    • are on a treatment that makes it more difficult for the body to fight off illness, such as steroids or chemotherapy

E. coli are bacteria (germs) that normally live in the intestines of humans and animals. There are many types of E. coli and most are harmless. However, certain types known as STEC may cause serious illness in people.

It is spread by consuming food or water that is contaminated with STEC bacteria or by direct person-to-person transmission. It can spread from animals to people through raw or undercooked meat, unpasteurized milk or foods that were contaminated by raw meat products or by animal feces. Contaminated fresh produce such as leafy greens and unpasteurized fruit juices have caused outbreaks of STEC.

Infected people, especially young children, may spread the illness to others by failure to wash their hands well after having a bowel movement (stool). People are usually contagious for between one to three weeks.

It is important that infected food handlers, health care workers, child care workers, or children attending a child care be excluded from their work or child care until released by the Snohomish County Health Department to return to work.

More information on E. coli: E. Coli | Washington State Department of Health