Casa Mexicana in Madisonville, Kentucky, has been confirmed as the source of a deadly Salmonella outbreak after food poisoning investigators in Hopkins County found the outbreak strain of Salmonella bacteria in food from the restaurant. Using a technique known as pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), lab researchers derived the genetic fingerprint of the pathogen from patient cultures and matched those prints to organisms in food from the restaurant.
Food Poisoning Bulletin learned from Public Health Director Denise Beach in Madisonville that the Casa Mexicana outbreak has sickened 15 people and killed one person in the area. Five of the confirmed victims were hospitalized and there has not been a new report of onset of illness in more than a week, she said. The restaurant is located at 3295 N Main St Madisonville, KY.
Salmonella is the most common bacterial cause of foodborne outbreaks in the United States and approximately half of all Salmonella outbreaks occur in restaurant settings. National food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen is reminding consumers that restaurants are liable for any injuries resulting from consumption of the food served to customers. The firm’s Bad Bug Law Team currently is investigating a pair of recent Salmonella outbreaks at Mexican-style restaurants. Besides Casa Mexicana in Madisonville, a separate outbreak has sickened customers of Hacienda Don Villo, a restaurant in Channahon, Illinois.
PFGE evidence is not crucial in restaurant Salmonella lawsuits, but it adds certainty to liability searches and has aided public health officials and consumers over many years to hold purveyors of contaminated food accountable for illnesses and deaths caused by food poisoning.
