Personal Injury Law

Updates on the Salmonella Outbreak with Ongoing Investigation

By Jessica Smagacz

The Minnesota Health Department of Agriculture & Health released another news report concerning the salmonella recovered from King Nut, InjuryBoard member Jane Akre wrote on today: Health Investigators Match Minnesota Salmonella with Nationwide Strain.

As posted on previously, the Minnesota health officials initially reported finding salmonella bacteria in a five pound tub of peanut butter given to schools and hospitals to distribute.

Today, they “announced that the laboratory analyses have confirmed a genetic match between the strains of salmonella bacteria found in a container of King Nut brand creamy peanut butter and the strains of bacteria associated with 30 illnesses in Minnesota and nearly 400 illnesses around the country.”

The Minnesota officials are continuing their investigation in this with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. King Nut is manufactured by Peanut Corporation of America, a corporation based in Georgia.

Unfortunately, there has been a report of a Minnesota woman who died. She had the same strain of salmonella identified in the recent outbreak, reports Mike Binkley of WCCO. The woman also had other health problems making it difficult to decipher exactly what she died from. But she did have the salmonella poisoning linked to the recent outbreak.

See our past post for more details on the salmonella outbreak and what you need to know: What Peanut Butter lovers Need to know about the Recent Salmonella Outbreak.

Salmonella poisoning can become a dangerous sickness. If you have eaten peanut butter, look out for these symptoms of salmonella: Diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps.

These symptoms can last from 12 to 72 hours after a person is infected. According the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the salmonella infection is “usually diagnosed by culture of a stool sample.” The sickness usually lasts four to seven days. Salmonella can also spread from “the intestines to the bloodstream and then to other body sites and cause death unless the person is treated promptly with antibiotics. In some cases, treatment is necessary.

If you or someone close to you has salmonella poisoning, you may want to contact the attorneys at Childers & Schlueter, LLP to see how they can help protect your legal rights.

Full post as published by Atlanta Personal Injury Lawyer on January 12, 2009 (boomark / email).