Traveling to Mexico? The CDC is warning about a multi-drug resistant Salmonella Newport risk among people who have recently visited that country. Many travelers with these infections have reported eating beef, cheese, including queso fresco and Oaxaca, beef jerky, or dried beef, also known as carne seca, before they got sick. Multi-drug resistant (MDR) Salmonella are not affected by drugs that are designed to eliminate them, so infections with this type of pathogen can be difficult to treat. Most people with a Salmonella infection suffer from fever, chills, muscle aches, diarrhea that can be bloody, nausea, vomiting, and stomach cramps. These symptoms usually start within six hours to six days after eating food or drinking water contaminated with this pathogen. When traveling to … [Read more...]
A Recurring Salmonella Strain and a Secret, Deadly Ground Beef Outbreak
Two years before a 2018 Salmonella outbreak linked to ground beef produced by JBS Tolleson triggered one of the largest beef recalls in modern history, another outbreak, a secret and deadly one was linked to the same strain. The deadly 2016 outbreak was never announced and no recall was ever issued because the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA FSIS) said traceback records didn't conclusively point to a single establishment. So, contaminated ground beef was sold to consumers and 106 people in 21 states got Salmonella infections. Forty-eight percent of the patients were hospitalized, and one person died. One year after that outbreak ended, the first illness in the 2018 outbreak was reported. That outbreak, which was publicly announced, eventually … [Read more...]
Similac Cronobacter and Salmonella Illnesses Investigated by the CDC
Similac Cronobacter and Salmonella Newport illnesses are being investigated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). At least four infants are ill after being fed the formula. Yesterday, the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Services reported that another infant was diagnosed with a Salmonella infection after ingesting the recalled powdered formula. That case is not included in the CDC total. The CDC does not recommend testing infants for Cronobacter infection unless they have symptoms of meningitis or sepsis, even if they consumed recalled formula. Early symptoms of Cronobacter include excessive crying, poor feeding, a fever, and very low energy. Symptoms of meningitis or sepsis include temperature changes, jaundice, grunting breaths, and abnormal … [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...]
