FDA, CDC Combine Two Salmonella Outbreaks Into One; WGS Suggests Cucumbers Grown With Contaminated Water
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Thanks to whole genome sequencing (WGS) and other investigative data, two foodborne salmonellosis outbreaks previously thought to be separate have been linked to each other and have been associated with cucumbers.
An investigation of the now-singular outbreak is ongoing by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The outbreak has caused 449 illnesses and 125 hospitalizations in 31 states, plus Washington D.C. Salmonella Africana and S. Braenderup are the specific serotypes behind the outbreak.
Laboratory, epidemiological, and traceback data have determined that cucumbers from Bedner Growers Inc. of Boynton Beach, Florida, and Thomas Produce Company of Boca Raton, Florida are the likely sources of illnesses in the outbreak; however, the two growers do not account for all the illnesses in the outbreak. While originally reported as two separate outbreaks, CDC and FDA combined the two outbreak investigations as they shared several similarities, including when and where illnesses occurred, the demographics of ill people, and the foods patients reported eating before they became sick.
Based on traceback information collected, Thomas Produce Company supplied cucumbers to multiple points of service where case patients reported eating cucumbers. As part of the investigation, FDA conducted an onsite inspection at Thomas Produce Company and collected samples. S. Braenderup was detected in samples of canal water used by Thomas Produce Company, and WGS analysis matched S. Branderup in the water used by Thomas Produce Company with a strain of S. Braenderup that is causing some of the illnesses in this outbreak.
Additional types of Salmonella were detected in both soil and water samples collected at both Bedner Growers Inc. and Thomas Produce Company. Multiple other strains of Salmonella, unrelated to the outbreak investigation, were found at Bedner Growers Inc. and matched clinical isolates from previous illnesses in the National Center for Biotechnology Information’s (NCBI) database. CDC and FDA are working to determine whether other positive samples from Thomas Produce Company match historical clinical isolates.
Bedner Growers Inc.’s and Thomas Produce Company’s cucumber growing and harvesting season is over. There is no product from these farms on the market and likely no ongoing risk to the public.
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