Ground beef sold at stores in several states was linked to an outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium in December, 2011. This week the CDC issued its final report on the outbreak:
A total of 20 persons infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Typhimurium were reported from 7 states. The number of ill persons identified in each state was as follows: HI (1), KY (1), MA (1), ME (4), NH (6), NY (6), and VT (1). Among persons for whom information was available, illnesses began on or after October 8, 2011. Ill persons ranged in age from 1 year to 79 years old, with a median age of 45 years old. Fifty percent were male. Among the 17 ill persons with available information, 8 (47%) were hospitalized. No deaths were reported.
Ground Beef Salmonella Outbreak Investigation
Epidemiologic, traceback, and laboratory investigations linked this outbreak to eating ground beef purchased from implicated stores. Exposure information is available for 19 of the victims of this outbreak.
- Epidemiologic Evidence: Of the 19, 14 (74%) reported consuming ground beef in the week before their illness began. Among the 14 ill persons who reported consuming ground beef, 12 (86%) reported purchasing ground beef from The implicated stores between October 12, 2011 to December 10, 2011.
- Laboratory Evidence: Laboratory testing conducted by the State of Maine Health and Environmental Testing Laboratory and the New York State Department of Health, Wadsworth Center Laboratories isolated the outbreak strain of Salmonella Typhimurium from 2 separate samples of leftover ground beef collected from unrelated ill persons’ homes in Maine and New York.
