The Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak linked to Triple T/Fareway chicken salad is now being investigated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The government is recommending that people do not eat recalled chicken salad sold at Fareway grocery stores in the Midwest.
While the Iowa Department of Health is reporting much higher numbers (37 confirmed and 78 probable cases as of February 20, 2018), the CDC says that 65 people infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Typhimurium have been reported from five states. Twenty-eight people have been hospitalized, and no deaths have been reported.
The case count by state is: Illinois (4), Iowa (55), Minnesota (2), Nebraska (3), and Texas (1). The state of Texas has now been added to the outbreak total. These are confirmed cases. The state of South Dakota is investigating two cases that may be associated with this outbreak; one of those patients was hospitalized. Illnesses reported by investigators in Iowa included ill persons who were tested and found to have Salmonella infections, but DNA fingerprinting has not yet linked them to this outbreak. And some people may not be included in the outbreak total because no bacterial isolates are available for testing.
Illness onset dates range from January 8, 2018 to February 10, 2018. The patient age range is from 11 to 89 years, with a median age of 57. Forty-two of these patients are female.
Whole genome sequencing shows that bacterial isolates taken from ill persons show they are closely related genetically, which means patients are likely to share a common bacterial source. And investigators in Iowa collected chicken salad from two Fareway stores in Iowa for lab testing. The outbreak strain of Salmonella Typhimurium was identified in both of those samples.
Further epidemiological evidence ties these illnesses to the chicken salad. In interviews, 45 of 58 people interviewed, or 78%, said they ate Fareway chicken salad the week before they got sick.
Investigators are using the PulseNet system to find any more patients who may be part of this outbreak. PulseNet manages a nationwide database of DNA fingerprints of bacteria that have made people sick to identify possible outbreaks.
Fareway stopped selling chicken salad in all of its stores after the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals contacted the company about the illnesses. A consumer advisory was issued on February 13, 2081, warning about this issue.
Triple T Specialty Meats recalled all chicken salad produced from January 2 to February 7, 2018. That is the company that made the salad for Fareway. The recalled chicken salad was sold in containers from the delis at Fareway grocery stores in Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, and South Dakota from January 4 to February 9, 2018.
If you have eaten Fareway chicken salad and have been experiencing the symptoms of Salmonella food poisoning, which include nausea, abdominal cramps, fever, vomiting, and diarrhea that may be bloody, see your doctor. Most people do recover from this illness, but long term health complications, such as endocarditis and reactive arthritis, can occur years after recovery.
Pritzker Hageman, America’s food safety law firm. located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, successfully represents people harmed by adulterated food products in outbreaks throughout the United States. Its lawyers have won hundreds of millions of dollars for survivors of foodborne illness, including some of the largest verdicts and settlements in American history. The firm’s recent trial victory on behalf of a child with E. coli poisoning and hemolytic uremic syndrome is the biggest recovery of its kind. Pritzker Hageman lawyers are regularly interviewed by major news outlets including the New York Times, CNN, and the Wall Street Journal.
