The well-known San Quentin State Prison in California was closed on Wednesday to all new inmates, visitors (including attorneys) and employees as officials began to conduct an ongoing investigation of the widespread outbreak of the norovirus.

Nearly 500 inmates and six employees have been reported to be ill from gastroenteritis, which is a stomach virus that causes severe symptoms including vomiting, diarrhea, cramps, fever and possible dehydration

A University of Nebraska-Lincoln student who was hospitalized after eating E. coli-tainted spinach is suing the companies which distributed the vegetable and the store that sold it.

The lawsuit says that Kenzi Clark developed acute gastroenteritis after eating spinach produced by the Dole Food Company and sold at a SunMart store in Lincoln.

Clark was in the hospital for four days. Her attorney, Chad Wythers, tells The Associated Press that tests are being conducted to see if the infection will have any lasting damage to her body

Cranberry juice contains substances that could remedy or cure a wide variety of ailments, such as kidney infection, gastroenteritis, or tooth decay.

Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) scientists believe that the cranberry may even be a substitute for antibiotics. This can be especially helpful in cases where E. coli bacteria have become resistant to common modes of treatment

The FDA has issued a warning against eating Pacific Northwest-raised shellfish as the warmer weather has allowed bacteria to form on the organisms.

About 200 cases of gastroenteritis have popped up across the country, an infection caused by Vibrio parahaemolyticus, which grows on shellfish in warm weather

The Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers against eating raw oysters harvested in the Pacific Northwest. The advisory was prompted by reports that some of the oysters recently harvested from that region were contaminated with Vibrio parahaemolyticus (Vp), a bacteria that can cause gastrointestinal illness.

The FDA says that until the threat of Vp from that region has passed, consumers are advised to thoroughly cook oysters before eating them. They should also thoroughly cook oysters if they are not certain of the oysters' origin, or if they wish to further reduce their risk of infection from bacteria that may be found in raw oysters