Home -> Law Blog Directory -> Health Law Blogs -> Food Safety News

Health Law

: Food Safety News

Mexican Fast Food Linked to 2 Salmonella Outbreaks

By Dan Flynn and Suzanna Schreck

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced yesterday that the agency is collaborating with public health officials in several states, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service to investigate two Salmonella outbreaks that have been ongoing since April.  

According to the CDC, multistate outbreaks of Salmonella Hartford and Salmonella Baildon are being investigated.  The two separate outbreaks have both been associated with food from an unnamed Mexican-style fast food restaurant chain.  

Salmonella Hartford and Baildon are rare serotypes of Salmonella bacteria, which when ingested causes symptoms such as diarrhea, abdominal cramps, fever, nausea, and vomiting.  Salmonella can be detected in the stool of infected individuals.

Outbreak victims are of similar age and geographic distribution.

The CDC reported that although the restaurant has been implicated as the source of the Salmonella outbreak, a particular food item or supplier has not been identified.  An extensive traceback effort was initiated to determine if a common source of Salmonella Hartford or Baildon could be identified but was unsuccessful in determining where the bacteria came from.

Salmonella Hartford Outbreak by the Numbers

Seventy-five individuals infected with a matching strain of Salmonella Hartford have been reported from 15 states since April 1, 2010.  The number of ill people identified in each state with this strain is as follows: CO (1), GA (1), IL (5), IN (11), KY (23), MA (2), MI (3), MT (1), NC (1), NH (1), NY (1), OH (19), PA (1), SC (1) and WI (4).

Among those for whom information is available about when symptoms started, illnesses began between April 30, 2010 and July 18, 2010.  

Case-patients range in age from less than one year to 80 years old, and the median age is 39 years.  Fifty-seven percent of patients are female.  Among the 47 patients with available hospitalization information, 15 (32 percent) were hospitalized.  No deaths have been reported.

Salmonella Baildon Outbreak by the Numbers

Eighty individuals infected with a matching strain of Salmonella Baildon have been reported from 15 states since May 1, 2010. The number of ill people identified in each state with this strain is as follows: CT (1), GA (1), IA (1), IL (20), IN (4), KY (5), MA (1), MI (4), MN (5), NJ (6), NY (2), OH (6), OR (1), WA (1) and WI (22).

Among those for whom information is available about when symptoms started, illnesses began between May 11, 2010 and July 19, 2010.

Case-patients range in age from 1 to 82 years old, and the median age is 47 years. Seventy-four percent of patients are female. Among the 68 patients with available hospitalization information, 27 (40 percent) were hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.

Full post as published by Food Safety News on August 05, 2010 (boomark / email).