Health Law

Update on Salmonella sprouts outbreak: 94 ill in 16 states and Washington DC

By Drew Falkenstein

The Salmonella outbreak linked to spicy sprouts and alfalfa sprouts from Tiny Greens has sickened 94 people with confirmed Salmonella infections in 16 states and Washington DC.  The strain of Salmonella involved is called Salmonella I 4,[5], 12:i:-.  51 people in Illinois have been sickened in the outbreak, having consumed the Salmonella sprouts at Jimmy Johns restaurants statewide.  Tiny Greens is a sprouter located in Urbana, Illinois.

The CDC's latest update:

From November 1 through December 27, 2010, 94 individuals infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella serotype I 4,[5],12:i:-, whose illnesses began since November 1, have been reported from 16 states and the District of Columbia. The number of ill people identified in each state with the outbreak strain is as follows: California (1), Connecticut (1), District of Columbia (1), Georgia (1), Hawaii (1), Iowa (1), Illinois (51), Indiana (9), Massachusetts (1), Missouri (17), New York (1), Pennsylvania (2), South Dakota (1), Tennessee (1), Texas (1), Virginia (1), and Wisconsin (3). Among 91 persons for whom information is available, illness onset dates range from November 1 to December 14, 2010. Case-patients range in age from 1 to 75 years, with a median age of 28. Sixty-one (or 67%) of patients are female. Among persons with available information, 24% reported being hospitalized. No deaths have been reported. Because the pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) pattern associated with this particular Salmonella serotype commonly occurs in the United States, some of the cases identified may not be related to this outbreak.
 

Full post as published by Food Poison Blog on December 28, 2010 (boomark / email).