Michigan Pet Food, Ground Turkey Tainted with Salmonella

Michigan pet owners are being advised that salmonella has been detected in some Nestle Purina One cat food products. Coupled with that, 77 people in 26 states have become ill from eating ground turkey tainted with salmonella Heidelberg or salmonellosis. The producer responsible for the salmonella-tainted ground turkey has not yet been identified, nor has the list of affected states been released. In the meantime, consumers are urged to avoid eating ground turkey and cook all meats to proper internal temperature.

If you have ground turkey products, freeze them until the source is established or discard them. Food suspected to contain salmonella should be placed in a sealed container to prevent pets and wild animals from consuming and spreading salmonella infection. You can also return the product to the place of purchase for a refund.

Several Nestle Purina products are also being recalled. Purina One Vibrant Maturity 7+ in 3.5 and seven pound bags with May 2012 sell-by dates are being recalled for salmonella. Products codes include: 03341084 and 03351084. UPC codes are 17800-01885 and 17800-01887. Affected products were sold in California, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio and Wisconsin. These are the only Purina One products affected.

Humans may be poisoned with salmonella by contact with tainted pet foods or pets that are ill with it. Symptoms of salmonella for animals and humans include: lethargy, nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramping, diarrhea and fever. Normally healthy people rarely develop more dangerous reactions to salmonella: endocarditis, urinary tract infection, eye irritation and arterial infection. Babies, children, pregnant or nursing mothers, elderly people and people with compromised immune systems are at greater risk.

If your pet has eaten suspect food, keep children and other pets away from the animal. Report any suspicious symptoms to your veterinarian. If anyone in the family shows signs of salmonella poisoning, he should be seen by a physician. Children should never be allowed to eat pet food or handle pet food dishes. As much as possible, yards and play areas should be kept free of animal feces. Salmonella can spread through contact with fecal matter.

With the German E. coli outbreak a not-to-distant memory, food-borne pathogens have been of particular concern in 2011. Earlier this year, 1,500 people in Hamburg, Germany because sick with HUS (Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome) and STEC (Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli), from eating sprouts tainted with E. coli. At the same time as the German scare, Michigan, ground beef, at Tipton, Mich. Irish Hills Meat Co. recalled 900 pounds of beef was found to contain Escherichia Coli (E. coli). Last month, alfalfa sprouts and spicy sprouts were recalled for salmonella, though not linked to the German food poisoning outbreak.

A life-long resident of "Pure Michigan", Marilisa Kinney Sachteleben writes about people, places, events and issues in the Great Lakes State.