Salmonella and peanut butter

Between April and August 2008 last year in the US, 1442 people were identified as having had a Salmonella Saintpaul infection with the same genetic fingerprint. The outbreak covered 43 US states, the District of Columbia, and Canada. The outbreak was first thought to be linked to tomatoes and then was finally linked to jalapeno peppers mainly due to the work of investigators at the Minnesota Department of Health.

Over the last few weeks I have been following the emergence of the latest outbreak in the US of Salmonella Typhimurium. The CDC report that "As of Friday, January 9, 2009, 399 persons infected with the outbreak strains of Salmonella Typhimurium have been reported from 42 states ..... Among the 380 persons with dates available, illnesses began between September 3 and December 31, 2008, with most illnesses beginning after October 1, 2008. Patients range in age from <1>".

Once again it seems that the Minnesota Department of Health may have solved the mystery of the source of the outbreak. They have issued a news release which states that:

"Officials from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) and the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) today issued a product advisory after MDA’s preliminary laboratory testing indicated the presence of Salmonella bacteria in a 5-pound container of King Nut brand creamy peanut butter.

The product is distributed in Minnesota to establishments such as long-term care facilities, hospitals, schools, universities, restaurants, delis, cafeterias and bakeries. At this time, the product is not known to be distributed for retail sale in grocery stores. State officials are urging establishments who may have the product on hand to avoid serving it, pending further instructions as the investigation progresses".

Laboratory results for the product sample have not yet been linked this product to the national outbreak, but confirmatory laboratory results are expected early next week.

Two years ago another Salmonella outbreak was linked to peanut butter. In that outbreak the CDC identified that as of May 2007 628 people were confirmed to have been infected with Salmonella Tennessee. This was subsequently was isolated from several opened and unopened jars of Peter Pan and Great Value peanut butter and from two environmental samples obtained from the production plant. Between April and June 1996, 15 persons with Salmonella enterica serovar Mbandaka infection were reported in South Australia and this outbreak was also linked to peanut butter.

I will keep you up to date with developments.

First posted at The Human Imprint.