The number five outbreak of 2023 is the ShopRite ground beef Salmonella outbreak that sickened at least 18 people in four states. While traceback didn't identify a common source for the ground beef, most people bought the meat at ShopRite stores in the northeastern United States. The case count by state is: Connecticut (1), Massachusetts (1), New Jersey (11), and New York (5). The patient age range is from 0 to 97 years. Illness onset dates ranged from April 27, 2023 through July 6, 2023. Seven people were hospitalized because they were so sick. Patient isolates were tested with whole genome sequencing were found to be closely related genetically, which means the people likely got sick from eating the same food. Investigators found the outbreak strain of Salmonella in a routine … [Read more...]