New Salmonella Outbreak Spreads Across the US for 2009

In the summer of 2008, a salmonella outbreak sickened over 1400 people and caused a major outcry. The FDA first cited tomatoes as the possible source of the salmonella poisoning, causing an instant crash in the tomato market. Later, the blame for the outbreak was placed on the Serrano pepper, but tomato growers had already suffered great economic losses after the FDA for weeks advised Americans to avoid Roma and round red tomatoes. Now in 2009, a new outbreak of salmonella has been quietly spreading across 42 states and has sickened as many as 388 so far, according to a report published at WebMD. Nearly 70 people have been hospitalized not just with salmonella symptoms, but with confirmed salmonella poisoning with the largest number of reported cases in Ohio and California.

New Outbreak is Salmonella Typhimurium

The tomato salmonella outbreak was attributed to salmonella serotype Saint Paul, while the current outbreak is being reported by Reuters as salmonella typhimurium. Salmonella typhimurium is, according to the CDC, most commonly found in poultry, eggs, unpasteurized milk, and cheese, although they have yet to identify any suspects in the current outbreak of salmonella. Salmonella typhimurium is one of the most common strains found in the US. Due to the widespread nature of the current salmonella outbreak, unpasteurized milk is unlikely to be responsible.

Salmonella Outbreak Timeline

The CDC reports that it typically takes 2-3 weeks to identify a particular genotype of salmonella in a patient with a genetic fingerprint of the infecting strain. Bloomberg reports that among the 51 cases confirmed from the current outbreak in the state of Ohio, there are cases dating back as far as October. Although the dates of the most recent cases were not released, the nature of the statements appear to suggest that the salmonella outbreak is ongoing. The FDA and CDC are working together to investigate all potential avenues of salmonella infection and will, we hope, narrow down the possible source more quickly than they did o the 2008 salmonella outbreak.

Salmonella Symptoms

The symptoms of salmonella poisoning are diarrhea, cramps and fever usually developing within 3 days or less of ingesting the contaminated food. Dehydration can be a complication of the original salmonella symptoms. Salmonella infections can last up to a week in most people, but the very young, very old, and those with compromised immune systems may not be able to recover without treatment. In these cases, salmonella poisoning is potentially fatal. Persons at high risk for severe infections should seek medical treatment at the onset of symptoms, others should check with their doctor if symptoms persist for more than a week or they experience signs of dehydration.

Sources:

WebMD, webmd.com/news/20090107/salmonella-outbreak-hits-42-states

Center for Disease Control, cdc.gov/salmonella, cdc.gov/salmonella/reportingtimeline.html

FDA, fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/tomatoes.html

Reuters, uk.reuters.com/article/burningIssues/idUKTRE5066E420090107

Bloomberg, bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=atQTZAhjYlB0&refer=us