The Salmonella Carrau outbreak that is linked to precut melon products sold at Target, Walmart, Kroger, and other stores has prompted questions about prepared produce. And unfortunately, the history of prepared produce outbreaks is long. Any food can be contaminated with pathogens. The fruits and vegetables can pick up bacteria in the fields, during harvest, during transport, and during processing. While people don't naturally think of produce as a cause of outbreaks, Salmonella in produce is in the top ten pathogen-food combinations that cause food poisoning. And in our modern food production and distribution system, produce that is harvested around the world is brought to huge central processing centers. The fruits and vegetables are cleaned and cut and packaged together. That … [Read more...]
Kentucky E. coli O103 Outbreak Linked to Fast Food Consumption
An E. coli O103 outbreak in Kentucky has been linked to fast food consumption, according to a release from the Kentucky Department for Public Health. The Kentucky E. coli outbreak has sickened at least 19 people. Those illnesses have been confirmed by the Kentucky Department of Public Health. The release is intended for doctors and lab providers, so they are alert to patients who present with acute diarrheal illness. Some news reports state that less than 25 cases have been reported. Those sickened are mostly children and teenagers, but some adults are also part of the outbreak. The cases were reported March 5 though March 25, 2018 and had "extensive exposure to fast food." Most of those sickened live in central Kentucky, especially Fayette County. The Mercer County Health … [Read more...]
Top 10 Multistate Food Poisoning Outbreaks of 2018
There were many food poisoning outbreaks in 2018. Thousands of people were sickened, many were hospitalized, and some died. This is a summary of the top 10 multistate food poisoning outbreaks of the year. Many lawsuits were filed in response to these outbreaks. McDonald's Cyclospora Outbreak. This outbreak sickened at least 511 people in 16 states, mostly concentrated in the Midwest. FDA investigators found the cyclospora oocyst in a sample of Fresh Express romaine and carrot mix that was used to make the salads. JBS Tolleson Ground Beef Salmonella Outbreak. This outbreak, which has not been declared over, has sickened at least 333 people in 28 states. The company has recalled more than 12,000,000 pounds of ground beef products that were sold in Kroger stores and elsewhere around … [Read more...]
FDA Weighs In On Potential Duncan Hines Salmonella Outbreak; Lawsuits Possible
The FDA has provided more information on the potential Duncan Hines Salmonella outbreak that many be linked to that company's cake mixes. Five people in three states are ill with Salmonella Agnebi infections. There are two cases on Maryland, two in Ohio, and one in Wisconsin. No one has been hospitalized. We don't know the patient age range or when the illnesses began. The FDA is investigating the manufacturing facility that made the mixes. They are collecting environmental samples there. A sample of Duncan Hines Classic White Cake Mix continued the same strain of Salmonella Agbeni that sickened the five people. The match was made using whole genome sequencing (WGS), which is a very accurate way to type DNA. Conagra is working with the FDA to conduct a recall of four different … [Read more...]
Ground Beef Salmonella Outbreak Sickens 30 in New Mexico; Lawsuits Possible
A ground beef Salmonella outbreak has sickened at least 30 people in New Mexico, according to a notice published by the New Mexico Department of Health. State officials are working with the USDA and CDC on this outbreak. It's likely that these illnesses are part of a larger multistate Salmonella outbreak linked to JBS Tolleson ground beef. In the last CDC update, officials stated that 21 people in New Mexico were sick. The CDC has not updated their ground beef Salmonella outbreak investigation since October 23, 2018. Illnesses in New Mexico started being reported in late August. The average illness duration among these patients is 13 days, which is much higher than the 4 to 7 days that a typical Salmonella infection lasts. And 27% of patients have been hospitalized in that state, … [Read more...]
