Three Texas residents are part of the Salmonella outbreak that has sickened 100 people in 19 states, but this isn’t the first time Texas has had reported cases of the unusual outbreak strain Salmonella Bareilly. From 2009-2011, an average of 14 cases of Salmonella Bareilly were reported annually to the Texas Department of State Health Service, Chris Van Deusen, Assistant Press Officer, told Food Poisoning Bulletin. The most recent case, prior to the current investigation, was in December 2011, he said. State and federal officials have been investigating the outbreak since January, but have been unable to determine a source. In interviews with investigators, case patients in several states reported eating sushi, sashimi and other foods made with raw fish, according to a report from … [Read more...]
How Can Sushi Tuna Be Contaminated with Salmonella?
Tuna that is used for sushi is supposed to be impeccably fresh so it is safe(r) to eat. The best sushi restaurants have chefs that buy and personally inspect each piece of tuna to make sure it's of the highest quality. The latest food poisoning outbreak in the U.S. is caused by Salmonella Bareilly, a rare strain of bacteria. Investigators are narrowing in on sushi, especially sushi made with tuna, as the cause. So how could tuna be contaminated with Salmonella? Food Poisoning Bulletin talked to Dr. Ted Johnson, professor of biology and Director of the Health Professions committee at St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN, about this issue. Dr. Johnson said that tuna does not naturally carry Salmonella, unlike chickens and cows. "The bacteria had to come from another source," he … [Read more...]
Salmonella Outbreak Hospitalizes 14, Sushi Suspected
At least 14 people, not 10 as reported Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), have been hospitalized by the Salmonella outbreak that has sickened at least 100 people in 19 states and the District of Columbia, Food Poisoning Bulletin has learned. Information gathered from a number of state health departments reveals that the number of those hospitalized by the outbreak caused by the rare pathogenic strain Salmonella Bareilly is 40 percent larger than the number reported Friday. Although state and federal health officials have been investigating the outbreak since January, a definite source has not been determined. However, during interviews with investigators, many case patients reported easting sushi prior to becoming ill, according to the CDC. According … [Read more...]
Suspected Sushi Salmonella Outbreak Hospitalizes Two in Louisiana
Two people from Louisiana were hospitalized by the Salmonella outbreak that has sickened at least 100 people in 19 states and the District of Columbia, a Louisiana health department spokesperson told Food Poisoning Bulletin today. According to the lastest update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), issued April 6, two residents of Louisiana were among the 100 confirmed case patients sickend by a rare strain of Salmonella called Salmonella Bareilly. Both of those patients are from the southeastern part of the state and both required hospitalization after becoming ill between February 14 and February 18 2012, the spokesperson said. State and federal health officials have been collaborating since January to determine the source of the outbreak, but have not yet … [Read more...]
Grocery Stores and Restaurants Involved in Salmonella Bareilly Outbreak Not Named by CDC
Both grocery stores and restaurants sold sushi, sashimi and similar products to some of the people sickened in the Salmonella Bareilly outbreak that has sickened over 100 people in 19 states and the District of Columbia. Jim Beasley, Public Information Director for the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, told Food Poisoning Bulletin that at least one of the three confirmed Salmonella Bareilly cases in that state ate sushi, sashimi or another product containing raw tuna that had been purchased from a grocery store. According to the initial Salmonella Bareilly outbreak announcement from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 35 of the 51 case patients with available information at the time reported consuming sushi, sashimi, or similar foods in the … [Read more...]
Salmonella Bareilly Outbreak Grows to 100 Cases
The CDC has updated the case numbers in the nationwide outbreak of Salmonella Bareilly. Now 100 people have been sickened with the outbreak strain of that rare bacteria. This is the official case distribution from the CDC:Alabama (2)Arkansas (1)Connecticut (5)District of Columbia (2)Georgia (4)Illinois (9)Louisiana (2)Maryland (10)Massachusetts (4)Mississippi (1)Missouri (1)New Jersey (7)New York (23)North Carolina (2)Pennsylvania (3)Rhode Island (4)South Carolina (3)Texas (3)Virginia (5)Wisconsin (9) The case count increased from April 5 to April 6, 2012 in the following states:Connecticut (1)Illinois (1)New Jersey (1)Pennsylvania (1)Wisconsin (1)Maryland (2) The Alabama Department of Health told Food Poisoning Bulletin on April 6, 2012 that there is one additional probable … [Read more...]
Tainted Tuna Sushi Suspected In Salmonella Outbreak That Sickens Five Virginia
Five Virginians are among the 100 victims of a Salmonella outbreak that is spreading through 19 states and the District of Columbia. The case patients in Virginia are between the ages of 20 and 59 and are from the central and northwest part of the state, Michelle Stoll, a public information officer for the Virginia Department of Health, told Food Poisoning Bulletin today. None of the patients has required hospitalization, she said. Demographic information about case patients from all 19 states shows patients range in age from 4 to 78 and that 47 percent are female and 53 percent are male, according to the latest update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). State and federal health officials have been working to identify the source of the outbreak but have not … [Read more...]
Tuna Sushi Suspected In Salmonella Outbreak That Sickens 10 In Baltimore Area
At least 10 Maryland residents are among the 100 people who have been sickened by a Salmonella outbreak that has swept through 19 states and the District of Columbia. All of the confirmed cases in Maryland are in the greater Baltimore area, Albina Chu, a spokeswoman from the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, told Food Poisoning Bulletin in an interview today. Chu said the state does not disclose certain information about outbreak case patients such as their gender or county of residence. A definite source of the outbreak has still not been identified, according to the latest update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), but sushi, sashimi and other raw fish dishes are among potential sources being investigated. Salmonella is a pathogen which, if … [Read more...]
Osamu Corporation Recalling Sushi Tuna
Osamu Corporation in Gardena, California has recalled 1800 cases of frozen ground tuna after three people became ill with elevated histamine levels. The USDA said it found elevated histamine levels in samples of the tuna. Several samples of the product also showed signs of decomposition. Decomposition can cause histamine formation in seafood. Histamine is a neuro-transmitter your body produces in response to an allergic reaction. When the substance is present in food, it can cause tingling or burning sensations in the mouth, rash, hives, itchy skin, facial swelling, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. If you develop any of these symptoms, seek medical attention immediately. Grocery stores that bought the tuna used it to prepare sushi sold in their stores. Osamu Corporation has said that … [Read more...]
