Back in 2021 we told you about a Salmonella outbreak that was allegedly linked to wild songbirds. An investigation that was published in Emerging Infectious Diseases found that 30 people in 12 states were sickened in this outbreak. The outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium was first identified by public health officials in February 2021 in eight patients who lived in Oregon and Washington. Whole genome sequencing found that the isolates collected from sick people were genetically related to one another as well as to an isolate from a pine siskin bird, which is a type of finch, in Oregon in December 2020. Investigators used PulseNet, the database that tracks foodborne and waterborne illness in the United States to help solve this outbreak. They also interviewed patients about … [Read more...]
Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Wild Songbirds Sickens 19
A Salmonella outbreak linked to wild songbirds has sickened at least 19 people in 8 states, with eight of those patients hospitalized, according to an investigation notice by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Last month, Food Poisoning Bulletin reported on the deaths of songbirds, particularly pine siskins, related to bird feeders in several states around the country. Those bird illnesses and deaths are caused by the same strain of Salmonella that is now making people sick. Humans can get sick from contact with these birds, from contact with contaminated bird feeders, and from contact with animals who may play with or eat the birds. As of March 30, 2021, the case count by state is: California (3), Kentucky (1), Mississippi (1), New Hampshire (1), Oklahoma (1), … [Read more...]
