CDC, public health and regulatory officials in several states, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration investigated a multistate outbreak of Salmonella infections.
Public health investigators used the PulseNet system to identify illnesses that were part of this outbreak. PulseNet is the national subtyping network of public health and food regulatory agency laboratories coordinated by CDC. DNA fingerprinting is performed on Salmonella bacteria isolated from ill people by using techniques called pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and whole genome sequencing (WGS). CDC PulseNet manages a national database of these DNA fingerprints to identify possible outbreaks. WGS gives a more detailed DNA fingerprint than PFGE. WGS performed on bacteria from ill people in this outbreak showed that they were closely related genetically. This means they were more likely to share a common source of infection.
As of September 5, 2018, 101 people infected with the outbreak strains of Salmonella Sandiego (92 people), Salmonella enterica subspecies IIIb (7 people), or both (2 people) were reported from 10 states. A list of the states and the number of cases in each can be found on the Map of Reported Cases page.
Illnesses started on dates ranging from June 21, 2018, to August 7, 2018. Ill people ranged in age from 1 year to 89, with a median age of 50. Sixty-one percent were female. Of 95 people with information available, 25 (26%) were hospitalized. No deaths were reported.
WGS analysis did not identify antibiotic resistance in bacteria isolated from 46 ill people. Testing of clinical isolates using standard antibiotic susceptibility testing methods by CDC’s National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) laboratory is underway.
Investigation of the Outbreak
Epidemiologic evidence indicated that Spring Pasta Salad purchased at Hy-Vee grocery stores was a likely source of this outbreak.
In interviews, ill people answered questions about the foods they ate and other exposures in the week before they became ill. Sixty (76%) of 79 people interviewed reported eating Spring Pasta Salad from Hy-Vee grocery stores in Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, and South Dakota. The ill people in North Dakota, Oregon, and Tennessee traveled to states where Hy-Vee grocery stores are located.
On July 16, 2018, Hy-Vee, Inc. of West Des Moines, Iowa removed Spring Pasta Salad products from all of its stores. Hy-Vee stores are located in Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wisconsin. On July 17, 2018, Hy-Vee, Inc. recalled its Spring Pasta Salad because it might have been contaminated with Salmonella.
This outbreak appears to be over.
Source: Centers for Disease Control