A persistent Salmonella strain in chicken has sickened Americans for a decade, according to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The strain is Salmonella Infantis (REPJFX01). This strain is resistant to multiple drugs and has caused outbreaks and illnesses in the United States and globally. The map is interactive on the CDC site. You can select a year and see how many people were sickened and where they live. These illnesses were first reported to PulseNet in 2012. As of December 31, 2022, information from 2,900 patients with REPJFX01 infection was reported. Illnesses caused by this strain occur all year long but are most common in the months of July and August. In all, seven outbreaks were investigated during the years of 2012 to 2022, but most were not solved … [Read more...]
Chicken and Salmonella Infantis, the Neverending Outbreak?
When the CDC ended its investigation of a deadly Salmonella Infantis outbreak linked to raw chicken products in February 2019, it added an unusual note at the top of the posting. "This investigation is over. Illnesses could continue because this Salmonella strain appears to be widespread in the chicken industry," it read in part. Two and a half years later, the impact of that statement came into focus when an investigative report from ProPublica revealed that the outbreak, linked to a multidrug-resistant strain of Salmonella Infantis, has never ended. “Many people are still becoming ill, and some of them gravely ill,” Robert Tauxe told ProPublica. Tauxe, who is the director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC’s) Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental … [Read more...]
Multidrug-Resistant Salmonella Infantis Infections Linked to Raw Chicken
Multidrug-resistant Salmonella Infantis infections have sickened at least 92 people in 29 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Twenty-one of those patients have been hospitalized because they are so sick. The case count by state is: Alabama (1), California (1), Connecticut (1), Delaware (2), Florida (2), Georgia (2), Hawaii (1), Illinois (5), Indiana (1), Kentucky (1), Louisiana (1), Maine (1), Maryland (2), Massachusetts (9), Michigan (3), Minnesota (3), Missouri (3), North Carolina (4), Nebraska (1), New Jersey (9), New York (10), Ohio (7), Pennsylvania (11), Rhode Island (2), South Carolina (1), Tennessee (1), Texas (2), Virginia (2), and Washington (2). There is no explanation for why this multidrug-resistant Salmonella Infantis outbreak seems to … [Read more...]
Papaya-linked Salmonella Newport and Salmonella Infantis Outbreak Spreads
In its latest update regarding the multistate outbreak of Salmonella Newport and Salmonella Infantis, the CDC reports that one more person from one state has contracted this strain of Salmonella, linked to Maradol papayas imported from Mexico. One of four Salmonella outbreaks currently being investigated by the CDC, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and state public health officials, this specific outbreak has now sickened a total of four people in the states of Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, and New York. These victims of the disease, ranging in age from 40 to 82, contracted the illness between July 19, 2017 and August 7, 2017; two are of Hispanic ethnicity. So far, only two of the victims have required hospitalization. More people, however, may become ill – the CDC … [Read more...]
Before Salmonella Outbreak, Diamond Pet Foods Had History Of Trouble
Before it manufactured tainted dog food that caused a Salmonella outbreak this year that has so far sickened 15 people in the U.S. and one person in Canada, Diamond Pet Foods, had a history of trouble. The company is based in Meta, MO and has operations in Lathrop, CA and Gaston, SC where most of its problems, including 10 current recalls and the Salmonella outbreak, have originated. However, last week, the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that a sample of Diamond Naturals Small Breed Adult Lamb and Rice formula collected from the Meta facility yielded a positive for Salmonella Liverpool, a bacterial strain that is different than the one that caused the outbreak, Salmonella Infantis. FDA officials say further investigations are underway to determine if the outbreak … [Read more...]
New Salmonella Strain Linked To Diamond Dog Food, Lawsuit Filed
A second strain of Salmonella has been linked to Diamond Dog Food, the source of a Salmonella Infantis outbreak that has sickened 15 people in nine states over the last seven months, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA has been collaborating with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on the investigation into the outbreak since the beginning of April when it discovered Salmonella Infantis, the rare outbreak strain, in an unopened package of Diamond Naturals Lamb and Rice Formula for Adult Dogs and prompted a recall by the company. Using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, or PFGE, public health investigators were able to identify the DNA "fingerprints" of Salmonella bacteria and determine that the strain in the dog food was a genetic match … [Read more...]
