The deadly Salmonella Kiambu outbreak linked to papayas has now sickened at least 109 people in 16 states. That's an increase of 64 more ill persons from the last update on July 21, 2017. Six more states have reported patients since then: Connecticut, Delaware, Michigan, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin. This outbreak began when Maryland officials started investigating a Salmonella cluster in their state. They found two types of Salmonella: Kiambu and Thompson. Officials were not sure if those sickened with Salmonella Thompson were part of this outbreak. Now, laboratory tests showed that the strain of Salmonella Thompson isolated from papayas collected in the Maryland investigation is "closely related genetically" to clinical isolates from patients so they are part of the … [Read more...]
Jack and the Green Sprouts E. coli Outbreak Ends with 11 Sick
The E. coli outbreak linked to alfalafa sprouts from Jack and the Green Sprouts of River Falls, Wisconsin has ended with 11 sick in two states, according to the Centers fro Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Eight people in Minnesota and three in Wisconsin were sickened. Two people were hospitalized. Located in River Falls, Wis., Jack & The Green Sprouts distributes alfalfa sprouts to states in the upper Midwest. Those sickened purchased the contaminated sprouts at a variety of locations including grocery stores, restaurants, salad bars and from commercial food service operations. A recall was issued for the sprouts. Health officials used DNA “fingerprinting” to identify cases of people infected with the outbreak strain of E.coli O157:H7 Case patients who ranged in age … [Read more...]
Minnesota Legal Roundtable Centers on Sprouts, E. coli Lawsuits
E. coli lawsuit questions and answers about chronic food poisoning outbreaks linked to alfalfa sprouts were fielded this week by a roundtable of lawyers in the Minneapolis offices of Pritzker Hageman, a national firm that practices extensively in the area of foodborne illness litigation. The discussion, conducted by Food Poisoning Bulletin, centered on two multi-state, sprout-related outbreaks of Salmonella and E. coli in 2016. The latest of the outbreaks was uncovered by the Minnesota Department of Health and investigated by FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). On March 2, the CDC reported that seven Minnesotans and two residents of Wisconsin were infected by the same strain of E. coli O157, traced to alfalfa sprouts grown at Jack & the Green Sprouts of … [Read more...]
Jack and the Green Sprouts Recall for E. coli Lawsuit in MN and WI
Jack and the Green Sprouts alfalfa sprouts and alfalfa onion sprouts are at the center of an E. coli O157:NM outbreak in Minnesota and Wisconsin that has sickened at least nine people. There have been many outbreaks linked to sprouts in the past 20 years; in fact, some food safety experts say that raw sprouts should be treated like raw meat. At least 30 outbreaks in the past 20 years have been linked to this product. While all fresh produce, when eaten raw, and for that matter all food eaten raw, carries the risk of pathogen contamination, sprouts are a special case. During the sprouting process, which occurs in moist and warm conditions, bacteria can multiply up to a million times the original amount that was on the beans, according to experts at the USDA. The makeup of the sprouts … [Read more...]
Salmonella in Sprouts Sickens Five in Kansas
Five people in Kansas are part of Salmonella outbreak linked to alfalfa sprouts from Sweetwater Farms in Inman, Kansas. Consumers who have purchased these sprouts should not eat them as Salmonella can cause serious illness. The outbreak also incldues three illnesses in Missouri, three illnesses in Oklahoma and two illnesses in Pennsylvania. Five of those sickened, who range in age from 18 to 73, have been hospitalized. Health officials used DNA “fingerprinting” tests to identify a total of 13 people infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Muenchen. During interviews with health officials, those sickened reported eating sprouts or menu items containing sprouts in the week before becoming ill. Nine of them reported eating alfalfa sprouts. One of them identified Sweetwater … [Read more...]
