The Southern Nevada Health District has released a report about a Salmonella outbreak that occurred at a potluck held at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Logandale, Nevada on October 19, 2013. At least 150 people were sickened in that outbreak. About 250 people attended the event. Eighty-five patients were seen by physicians. The symptoms included non bloody diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and fever. No food from the event was available for testing. While persons who did not attend the potluck also got sick, they were in close contact with potluck attendees. Most people who attended the potluck lived in the Logandale/Mesquite/Moapa area, but some attendees were Utah residents. According to the report, the patient age range was from 7 months to 88 years. Most were … [Read more...]
MN Ecuadorian Festival Salmonella Outbreak Source: Roasted Pork
The Salmonella outbreak at the Ecuadorian street festival in Minneapolis, MN in August was likely caused by roasted pork that was resold, not roasted guinea pigs as was originally thought, according to the Star Tribune. The organizer, New York Plaza Produce, has gone out of business. The company was fined for illegal slaughter of guinea pigs as food. And meat that is purchased at retail markets shouldn't be resold. The pathogenic bacteria was traced to three roasted pigs purchased from a barbecue restaurant in Minneapolis, then resold. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture found that the pork had low levels of Salmonella when it was purchased, but the bacteria grow and cross-contaminated other foods when it was being handled by New York Plaza Produce employees. The preparation and … [Read more...]
White Beans Salmonella Source in Bean Day Alabama Outbreak
The Salmonella outbreak at the Bean Day fundraiser held at the First Baptist Church Family Life Center in Athens, Alabama has sickened at least 27 people, up from six in the original case count. The event was held on October 4, 2013 by the Limestone County Foundation on Aging. The Alabama Department of Public Health said white beans were the source of the pathogenic bacteria. News reports state there was Salmonella in the beans, according to Kelly Stevens, director of epidemiology for the Department. Food was collected from the event and tested positive for Salmonella. Fifty people visited the emergency room after the dinner, and 13 people were admitted. The state is not doing a case count, but is still investigating the outbreak. A final report should be issued within the next six … [Read more...]
Rep. Slaughter on the Foster Farms Salmonella Outbreak
Representative Louise Slaughter (D-NY), the only microbiologist in Congress, issued a statement about the Foster Farms chicken Salmonella outbreak that has sickened 278 people in 17 states with a "staggering" hospitalization rate of 42%.. She said, "This is our country's worst nightmare - a massive outbreak of antibiotic-resistant Salmonella - and it's made even worse by a reckless Republican shutdown that locked most of the Centers for Disease Control out of their offices. "The frontline antibiotics we desperately need to treat this outbreak have been rendered ineffective by overuse on the farm, which is why once and for all we must ban the use of antibiotics in food animals unless the animals are sick. Congress must pass my legislation to end the needless overuse of antibiotics on the … [Read more...]
Kroger Removes Foster Farms Chicken From Stores
Kroger stores are removing Foster Farms chicken from their stores after an announcement of a Salmonella outbreak that has sickened at least 278 people in 17 states. While Foster Farms has said it has "fixed the situation", Kroger isn't taking chances. The stores that are removing Foster Farms chicken include Fry's, King Soopers, Ralphs, Fred Meyer, Food 4 Less, QFC, and Smith's. Kroger, Jay C, and Dillons stores do not carry Foster Farms chicken. The recalled products are identified by these numbers inside the USDA mark of inspection: P6137, P6137A, and P7632. Kroger will notify customers who have purchased those products through their store loyalty card contacts. If you purchased any Foster Farms chicken, from any store, with those numbers in the USDA mark of inspection, discard it … [Read more...]
Questions About Foster Farms Chicken Salmonella Outbreak
Earlier this year, there were a few vague announcements about a Salmonella outbreak associated with Foster Farms chicken. In March, the CDC announced an outbreak that sickened at least 128 people in 13 states. Most of the ill persons lived on the West coast, but there were people sick on the East coast as well. At the time, the report stated that "Foster Farms brand chicken was the most likely source of the infections." There was no recall, either from the company or from the USDA. The outbreak strain of Salmonella Heidelberg was found in four intact samples of Foster Farms chicken taken from the homes of three patients. That announcement said that "an investigation by USDA-FSIS is ongoing." A final report was issued on July 12, 2013, in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, and … [Read more...]
Salmonella Outbreak Associated with Foster Farms Chicken
The USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is issuing a public health alert because of concerns that 278 illnesses caused by Salmonella Heidelberg are associated with raw chicken products produced by Foster Farms at three facilities in California. FSIS can't link the illnesses to a specific product and production period. Raw products from the facilities in question have one of these establishment numbers, either inside a USDA mark of inspection or elsewhere on the package: "P6137", "P6137A" or "P7632". The products were mainly distributed to retail outlets in California, Oregon, and Washington State. The 278 ill persons live in 18 states; most live in California. The outbreak is continuing. Illnesses were linked to Foster Farms brand chicken through epidemiologic, … [Read more...]
Lawyer Represents Victim of Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Hacienda Don Villo in Channahon, Illinois
A Salmonella outbreak was declared after people started getting sick after eating at Hacienda Don Villo, a Mexican restaurant in Channahon, Illinois.shortly after eating in mid-September and required several hospital visits. Over 34 people have complained of stomach pain after eating at the restaurant, according to Philip Jass, Health Administrator with the Grundy County Health Department. The county has completed the first round of Salmonella testing on employees of the restaurant. One employee tested positive for Salmonella poisoning. Restaurants are legally responsible for illnesses linked to their food. Whether the food was contaminated prior to reaching the restaurant or at the restaurant does not change their duty to provide safe food. The county is also having stool samples … [Read more...]
Kentucky Salmonella Probe at Casa Mexicana Has Breakthrough
Casa Mexicana in Madisonville, Kentucky, has been confirmed as the source of a deadly Salmonella outbreak after food poisoning investigators in Hopkins County found the outbreak strain of Salmonella bacteria in food from the restaurant. Using a technique known as pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), lab researchers derived the genetic fingerprint of the pathogen from patient cultures and matched those prints to organisms in food from the restaurant. Food Poisoning Bulletin learned from Public Health Director Denise Beach in Madisonville that the Casa Mexicana outbreak has sickened 15 people and killed one person in the area. Five of the confirmed victims were hospitalized and there has not been a new report of onset of illness in more than a week, she said. The restaurant is … [Read more...]
Hacienda Don Villo Linked to Salmonella Outbreak in Illinois
Hacienda Don Villo, a restaurant in Channahon, Illinois, may be the source of an outbreak of Salmonella poisoning in Grundy County. It is not yet known what food item served at the restaurant was contaminated with Salmonella bacteria. Osterholm said in some outbreaks linked to restaurants, it’s not possible to identify the precise food product responsible for the illnesses. If the contaminated product was produce, there is often none left to test by the time illnesses are reported to the health department. Also, if a person who was sickened had, for example, tacos, the adulterated product that caused illness could have been the lettuce, tomatoes, meat or an ingredient in the salsa. Even if health officials can’t say for sure which product was responsible, outbreak victims may still … [Read more...]
