An E. coli outbreak in the Edmonton area that has resulted in the death of one person is linked to pork products sold by a central Alberta Hutterite colony, Alberta Health Services said Wednesday.

A judge has certified a $16-million class action alleging that contaminated pork sold by a central Alberta Hutterite colony led to a deadly E. coli outbreak in Edmonton four years ago.

The number of people who ate or drank something at the Saskatoon Farm and then tested positive for E. coli, is up to 26.

Single colonies—ranging from 0.5–2 mm for E. coli and 1–3 mm for yeast—were successfully isolated using automated plating, UV-sterilized instruments, and blue-white screening.

When the local health departments tests the water for E.coli, they check for the number of colony forming units, which measures bacteria in a sample. If the number is greater than 235 units per ...

The data is measured through the amount of colony-forming units (CFU) per 100 milliliters (mL) of water. For example, at Rockett’s Landing, testing shows 2,420 CFU per 100 mL in the water.

In Wisconsin, a level of 235 colony-forming units of E. coli warrants an advisory for elevated bacteria, while 1000 units and above is closure level.