Salmonellosis Outbreak Affects 307 People; CDC Names Live Poultry as Source
A total of 307 persons infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Typhimurium have been reported from 37 states, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported on August 9. Since the last CDC update on July 2, 38 additional cases have been reported from California (2), Colorado (6), Florida (1), Georgia (1), Iowa (1), Mississippi (1), Missouri (1), Nebraska (3), New York (2), Oklahoma (2), South Carolina (1), South Dakota (2), Tennessee (1), Texas (4), Utah (5), Washington (2), Wisconsin (2), and Wyoming (1). This outbreak of human Salmonella Typhimurium infections is not related to the current outbreak of human Salmonella Infantis, Lille, Newport, and Mbandaka infections linked to live poultry.
Among the persons who reported the date they became ill, illnesses began between March 4 and July 23 of this year. Ill persons range in age from less than one year to 87 years, with a median age of 6 years. Sixty percent of ill persons are 10 years of age or younger. Fifty percent of ill persons are female. Among 193 ill persons with available information, 49 (25 percent) have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.
Some illnesses that occurred after July 13, 2013 might not have been reported yet due to time lags (typically averaging two to three weeks) that tend to occur between when a person becomes ill and when the illness is reported.
In interviews, ill people reported purchasing live baby poultry — such as chicks and ducklings — from multiple feed stores and mail-order hatcheries. Ongoing traceback investigations to determine the ultimate source of Salmonella Typhimurium-infected live poultry linked to this outbreak have been challenging because of the complicated distribution network for these birds.
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