The El Abuelito Listeria monocytogenes outbreak in 2021 is the subject of a Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) from the CDC for the week of May 27, 2022. That outbreak sickened at least 13 people in four states. Twelve people were hospitalized and one person died. The outbreak was linked to Hispanic-style cheese within 19 days of the detection of the illness cluster. Rapid food testing by agencies identified the implicated cheese. PulseNet, the national molecular subtyping surveillance network that is coordinated by the CDC, found a cluster of three infections on January 19, 2021. Two of the patients lived in Maryland and one lived in Connecticut. All of the patients were of Hispanic ethnicity. The cheese that was linked to this outbreak is a fresh, soft cheese made … [Read more...]
FDA Investigating 231 Dry Cereal Adverse Events: May Be Lucky Charms?
The FDA is investigating 231 dry cereal adverse event reports, according to their CORE Outbreak Investigation Table. This matches up with the reports of gastrointestinal illness claims from people who say they have eaten Lucky Charms cereal in the past few weeks, according to iwaspoisoned.com. In an email about the update, the FDA states: For adverse event report investigations, FDA will indicate a product category and not publicly name a specific product until there is sufficient evidence to implicate that product as a cause of illnesses or adverse events. For the new adverse events investigation (reference #1064), FDA is following up on a series of unconfirmed adverse event reports that may be associated with dry cereal. Although FDA has not determined that this cereal is … [Read more...]
New Listeria Monocytogenes Outbreak on FDA CORE Table
A new Listeria monocytogenes outbreak has been announced by the FDA on their CORE Outbreak Investigation Table, with at least 15 people sick. No recall has been initiated, no traceback has started, no on-site inspections are scheduled, and no sample collection or analysis has begun. The food responsible for this outbreak has not yet been identified. There are five other active investigations on the table. Three of those outbreaks have not had a food named that is associated with the illnesses. The Listeria monocytogenes outbreak first announced on February 9, 2022 is still unsolved. There are 17 people sick in that outbreak. Traceback has been initiated, on-site inspections have been conducted, and samples have been collected and analyzed. The investigation into Cronobacter … [Read more...]
Five Active Outbreaks on FDA CORE Table; Three Not Identified
There are currently five active outbreaks on the FDA CORE Outbreak Investigation Table. Three of those outbreaks have not had a food identified, including an outbreak that doesn't have a pathogen attached to it, the Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak, and a Listeria monocytogenes outbreak. Those three outbreaks have sickened at least 1o8 people. The two identified outbreaks are the norovirus outbreak linked to raw oysters imported from British Columbia, Canada, which has sickened at least 91 people in 13 states. No recall has been issued, but restaurants and retailers have been told to not sell or serve oysters with specific landfile numbers from the Baynes Sound area in that province. The Cronobacter illnesses and the Similac investigation is also active. Four infants were sickened … [Read more...]
Deadly Dole Salad Listeria Outbreak Ends With 18 Sick in 13 States
The deadly Dole Salad Listeria monocytogenes outbreak has ended with 18 sick in 13 states, 16 patients hospitalized, and three deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That's an increase of one more patient in Ohio and one more death, also in Ohio, since the last update in early February 2022. The patient case count by state is: Idaho (1), Iowa (2), Maryland (1), Michigan (1), Minnesota (2), Nevada (1), North Carolina (1), Ohio (3), Oregon (1), Pennsylvania (1), Texas (2), Utah (1), and Wisconsin (1). Illness onset dates range from August 16, 2014 to January 15, 2021. The patient age range is from 50 to 94 years. Of 16 people who gave information to public health officials, all were hospitalized. Three deaths have been reported: one each from … [Read more...]
New Salmonella Saint Paul Outbreak on FDA’s CORE Table
A new Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak has been listed on the FDA's CORE Outbreak Investigation Table. According to the table, there are at least 59 people sick in this particular outbreak. According to the table, traceback has been initiated, but no recall has been ordered, no on-site inspection has begun, and there has been no sample collection or analysis. The FDA does not provide much information about an outbreak unless there are actions that consumers can take. This is a fairly rare strain of Salmonella. In 2013, a Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak that was linked to imported cucumbers sickened at least 84 people in 18 states. Seventeen people were hospitalized because they were so sick. And a Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak in Michigan in 2017 sickened at least 15 people. A … [Read more...]
Deadly Fresh Express Listeria Monocytogenes Outbreak Ends With 10 Sick
The deadly Fresh Express Listeria monocytogenes outbreak has ended with 10 people sick in eight states. One person, who lived in Pennsylvania, died. Fresh Express recalled its packaged salads that were produced in its Streamwood, Illinois facility on December 20, 2021. The case count has remained unchanged since the last update on December 22, 2021. The patient case count by state is: Illinois (1), Massachusetts (1), Michigan (1), New Jersey (2), New York (1), Ohio (1), Pennsylvania (2), and Virginia (1). Illness onset dates range from July 26, 2016 through October 19, 2021. The patient age range is from 44 to 95 years. All 10 people were hospitalized. Whole genome sequencing performed on isolates from sick people showed that they are closely related genetically, which means that … [Read more...]
FDA: Infant Cronobacter Illnesses and Listeria Case Count Increases
Infant Cronobacter illnesses and a Salmonella Newport illness, along with a case count increase in the yet unidentified Listeria monocytogenes outbreak are on the FDA's CORE Outbreak Investigation Table. In addition, investigations into the E. coli O157:H7 outbreak linked to Simple Truth Power Greens packaged salad, the deadly Listeria monocytogenes outbreak linked to Dole packaged salads, and the deadly Listeria monocytogenes outbreak linked to Fresh Express packaged salads are still ongoing. Four infants have been diagnosed with either Cronobacter or Salmonella illnesses after allegedly being fed powdered infant formula produced by Abbott Nutrition. All of the infants were fed this formula before they got sick. And all four infants were hospitalized; Cronobacter may have … [Read more...]
New Listeria Monocytogenes Outbreak on FDA CORE Table
A new Listeria monocytogenes outbreak has been listed on the FDA's CORE Outbreak Investigation Table, with 13 people sick. Traceback has been initiated, but no inspection has been started, and there has been no sample collection or analyzing. We do not know the patient case count by state, patient age ranges, or illness onset dates. The FDA will not release much more information about this outbreak unless there are some things that the public can do to protect itself. There are still four active outbreak investigations on the table. The E. coli O121:H19 outbreak linked to romaine lettuce, which sickened at least four people, has been closed with no resolution. No brand or farm or even a growing area was named. The four active outbreaks are: An Enteroinvasive E. coli O143:H26 … [Read more...]
Two Minnesotans Sickened in the Dole Bagged Salad Listeria Outbreak
There are two Minnesotans sickened in the Dole bagged salad Listeria monocytogenes outbreak, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The second patient was just added in the update issued by that agency on February 1, 2022. Patients sickened in this outbreak live all over the country. The case count by state is: Idaho (1), Iowa (2), Maryland (1), Michigan (1), Minnesota (2), Nevada (1), North Carolina (1), Ohio (2), Oregon (1), Pennsylvania (1), Texas (2), Utah (1), and Wisconsin (1). Thirteen people have been hospitalized and two patients, who lived in Michigan and Wisconsin, died. The illness onset range is very long, from August 16, 2014 to December 30, 2021. This unusual range is fairly common for Listeria monocytogenes outbreaks. When a person is … [Read more...]
