Chicago

E. coli at fair linked to sawdust

At least 19 people who had gone to a county fair in Ohio in 2001 fell ill with E. coli after the bacteria apparently spread through sawdust in the air at an exhibition hall — the first time researchers have connected an outbreak to a contaminated building.

Testing at the building in Lorain County found E. coli O157 in the rafters, the walls and the sawdust.

“This is an entirely new mode of transmission,” said Dr. Michael S. Donnenberg, professor of medicine and head of infectious diseases at the University of Maryland, who was not involved in the study.

The study was conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and published in today’s Journal of the American Medical Assn.

Tainted food is the most common source of E. coli outbreaks, which cause about 61 deaths and 73,000 illnesses a year in the United States.

New York

Jurors see video of Tyco apartment

Jurors in the Tyco International corporate larceny trial watched a video tour of the $18 million company-owned apartment where former CEO Dennis Kozlowski stayed when he was in New York.

The 15-minute tape shows at least a dozen paintings, including a Monet and a Renoir, a $2,200 wastebasket and a $15,000 umbrella stand.

Kozlowski, 56, and Tyco’s former chief financial officer, Mark Swartz, 43, are charged with grand larceny and enterprise corruption, accused of stealing some $600 million from Tyco. Each faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted.

Prosecutors allege that Kozlowski and Swartz stole $170 million by taking and hiding unauthorized pay and bonuses, raiding company loan programs and forgiving loans to themselves.