A Salmonella saintpaul outbreak has sickened 15 people, according to the Oakland County Health Division in Pontiac, Michigan. The notice states that cases have also been identified in other counties in Michigan, as well as in Ohio and Illinois. The notice from public health officials quotes Dr. Pamela Hackert, chief of medical services at the Health Division, who said, "The ongoing investigation suggests that the Salmonella is being spread through personal contact. Residents are reminded to wash their hands thoroughly before every meal and after using the restroom." But according to Rochester Patch, a popular Mexican restaurant in downtown Rochester has been closed due to "Salmonella concerns." Rojo Mexican Bistro has been temporarily closed "after several diners were recently … [Read more...]
Eight Current Salmonella Outbreaks Are Linked to Backyard Poultry Flocks
The CDC reports that there are eight ongoing multistage outbreaks of Salmonella linked to backyard poultry in the United States. In the June 2017 issue of the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, an outbreak advisory discusses the 2017 multistate outbreak of human Salmonella infections linked to live poultry in backyard flocks. Every year Food Poisoning Bulletin has told you about outbreaks linked to backyard poultry. Hundreds of people have been sickened in these types of outbreaks. Chickens, turkeys and ducks can carry pathogenic bacteria that can easily be transmitted to humans. As of May 25, 2017, there are 372 people infected with the outbreak strains of bacteria in 47 states. The serotypes in these outbreaks are Salmonella Braenderup, Salmonella Enteritidis, … [Read more...]
Salmonella Outbreak at Boston Back Bay Sandwich and Cafe Med
Two Boston restaurants have had their permits to operate temporarily suspended after an apparent Salmonella outbreak. Ana Karina Vivas, Media Relations Manager at the Boston Public Health Commission, told Food Poisoning Bulletin that there are eight confirmed cases of Salmonella and no known hospitalizations. Four of the patients ate at Cafe Med, two at Back Bay Sandwich, and two people ate at both facilities. She said that they are working on testing employees to identify the source of the outbreak. Boston public health officials found violations in the way those facilities prepare, handle, and hold food. Back Bay Sandwich at 31 Saint James Avenue had its permit pulled on May 17 and May 18, 2017 for "multiple risk factors." And Cafe Med, also at 31 Saint James Avenue was … [Read more...]
Salmonella Outbreak at Duffy’s Bar and Grill in Osseo, MN
Doug Schultz, Information Officer at the Minnesota Department of Health told Food Poisoning Bulletin that there is a Salmonella outbreak investigation involving Duffy's Bar and Grill in Osseo, Minnesota. Five people have been sickened in this outbreak. The patient age range is from 28 to 80 years told. Two of the patients have been hospitalized because their illnesses were so severe. All of the patients have recovered. Interventions were put into place at the facility, according to Schultz, and there is no evidence of any ongoing transmission, since the last patient who was sickened at there on February 26, 2017. There is no information about what caused the outbreak. The outbreak could have been caused through contaminated food, through cross-contamination, or by an ill … [Read more...]
Salmonella Outbreak in Cole County, MO Now at 25
The Cole County Health Department (CCHD) has released information about the Salmonella outbreak investigation in that area. As of April 18, 2017, 25 people are now sick in the area. Public health officials started to notice an increase in the number of Salmonella cases in the area on April 12, 2017. On April 13, 2017, CCHD started to ask Infection Control staff at local hospitals about cases and to alert them to this problem. CCHD staff also consulted with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services to see if there was a corresponding increase in any surrounding counties. There are non so far. Over the last week, the number of cases has continued to rise. Patients are being interviewed by staff members for information about the foods they have eaten, where they have … [Read more...]
Research Finds Salmonella Food Poisoning Could Damage DNA
Research at Cornell University has found that Salmonella food poisoning caused by some serotypes of the pathogenic bacteria could permanently damage your DNA. The study is published in the journal mBio by the American Society for Microbiology as "The Cytolethal Distending Toxin Produced by Nontyphoidal Salmonella Serotypes Javiana, Montevideo, Oranienburg, and Mississippi Induces DNA Damage in a Manner Similar to That of Serotype Typhi." Dr. Rachel Miller, author of the study, said, "not all Salmonella serotypes are equal." There are more than 2,500 serotypes for Salmonella, but fewer than 100 of those cause most of the food poisoning cases in this country, according to the CDC. Salmonella causes about 1.2 million illnesses every year in the U.S>, and kills about 450 … [Read more...]
Indelible Catering Turns in Food Permit After AL Outbreak
The owner of Indelible Catering in Moulton, Alabama has surrendered his food service permit to the Department of Public Health. That facility prepared food for an event in Sheffield, Alabama on Saturday, November 12, 2016. At least 99 people were sickened with Salmonella enteritidis infections after attending that event. Twenty-two people were hospitalized because their illness was so severe. The Alabama Department of Public Health issued an emergency order on November 16, 2016 to prevent Indelible Catering from preparing food while the outbreak was fineg investigated. Dr. Scott Harris, Assistant State Health Officer said, "the health department's priority is the health of the public and preventing any additional foodborne illnesses. Make sure the caterer you hire for any event has … [Read more...]
Salmonella Outbreak at Schmidt Farm in Oregon
A Salmonella food poisoning outbreak linked to hazelnuts sold at Schmidt Farm and Nursery along Oregon Route 18 has been announced by the Oregon Health Authority Public Health Division and the Oregon Department of Agriculture. Officials are telling consumers who purchased the nuts there to throw them away immediately. Dr. Paul Cieslak, medical director of the Public Health Division's Acute and Communicable Disease Prevention Section said in a statement, "people who have hazelnuts from the farm stand at Schmidt Farm and Nursery should toss them out right away." Five people are sick with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Typhimurium. The illnesses began between October 15 and December 13, 2016. When interviewed, three of those sickened said they bought hazelnuts from the Schmidt … [Read more...]
University of Texas Develops Oral Salmonella Vaccine
Researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston have developed an oral vaccine against Salmonella bacteria. The article is published in Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology. Researchers at that facility have developed potential vaccines against Salmonella Typhimurium, but that vaccine was given as an injection. An oral vaccination is much simpler to give to patients. And it uses the same pathway that the bacteria took to enter the body. Dr. Ashok Copra, UTMB professor of microbiology and immunology said, "In the current study, we analyzed the immune responses of mice that received the vaccination by mouth as well as how they responded to a lethal dose of salmonella. We found that the orally administered vaccines produced strong immunity against … [Read more...]
CDC Releases Info About Another Cucumber Salmonella Outbreak, 8 Months Later
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued information about a Salmonella Oslo outbreak linked to Persian cucumbers this week in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. But the outbreak happened eight months ago. Public health officials in Minnesota and Michigan started an investigation when four people were sickened with Salmonella Oslo infections that occurred March 21 to April 9, 2016. A total of 14 people in 8 states were identified as being part of this outbreak at the end of the investigation. Whole genome sequencing and pulsed gel-electrophoresis identified the outbreak strain of Salmonella Oslo, which was new to the PulseNet database. Epidemiologic evidence found that Persian cucumbers were the source of infections in this outbreak. Persian, or "mini" … [Read more...]
