A Salmonella outbreak has been associated with eating at Chipotle restaurants in Minnesota, according to a Minnesota Department of Health news release. Forty five cases of Salmonella Newport infections have been reported since Wednesday, September 2, 2015.
The multiplier for Salmonella outbreaks is 30.3. That means that for every case of Salmonella that is reported to investigators and public health officials, more than 30 are now. This outbreak could have sickened at least 1,363 people just in Minnesota. Public health officials say there is no indication that any restaurants outside of Minnesota are affected.
All of the patients are infected with Salmonella Newport bacteria with “matching or very similar” DNA fingerprints, according to the news release. Of the 34 people interviewed to date, 32 ate or likely ate at 17 different Chipotle restaurants around the state. The patients ate at the restaurant from August 16 to August 26, 2015 and became ill between August 20 and August 29, 2015.
Most of the restaurants in question are in the Twin Cities metro area; one is in Rochester and one is in St. Cloud. The restaurants are in 7 Corners (Minneapolis), Bloomington, Calhoun, Crystal, Hopkins, Maple Grover, Maplewood, Minnetonka, Richfield, Ridgedale, Rochester, Shoreview, St. Cloud, St. Louis Park, St. Paul Lawson, Uptown, and US Bank Plaza (Minneapolis). Other locations in Minnesota may be affected as well; we’ll let you know if more are reported.
The patients range in age from 15 to 67 years year old. They live in eight metro and greater Minnesota counties. Five people have been hospitalized so far in this outbreak.
The symptoms of Salmonella food poisoning include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, fever, chills, headache, muscle pains, and blood in the stool. Symptoms usually begin six to seventy-two hours after infection, and can last up to a week. Some people recover without medical treatment, but there are long term consequences to this infection. Later in life, a person who had Salmonella food poisoning can develop reactive arthritis, irritable bowel syndrome, high blood pressure, and heart problems. Your doctor should have this illness noted on your chart.
If you have eaten at a Chipotle restaurant in Minnesota and have experienced these symptoms, please see your doctor. You may need antibiotics, and your case may help pinpoint the source of the pathogenic bacteria.
People are hospitalized in Salmonella outbreaks for several reasons. They could be dehydrated from diarrhea and vomiting. They could have underlying health conditions that make this infection more serious. The bacteria could be resistant to antibiotics. Or the patients could be very young or very old; those two groups are more likely to suffer complications from food poisoning.
