A Salmonella outbreak linked to dried wood ear mushrooms has sickened 41 people in 10 states. Four people have been hospitalized, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Several clusters of illness have been linked to ramen soup and other foods containing wood ear mushrooms served at restaurants.
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Wood ear mushrooms are also known as Kikurage, Dried Black Fungus, Dried Fungus, or Mu’er/Mu Er/Mu-Err. On September 23, 2020, Wismettac Asian Foods, Inc. issued a recall for Shirakiku brand Black Fungus imported from China. The product was distributed to restaurants in six-packs of five-pound bags with the UPC code 00074410604305 and item number 60403.
The people sickened in this outbreak, who range in age from 2 to 74 years old, reported the onset of symptoms including diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever on dates ranging from January 21, 2020, to August 26, 2020. DNA tests on the bacteria cultured from these patients identified the “genetic fingerprint” of the outbreak strain of Salmonella Stanley associated with this outbreak.
The California Department of Public Health tested a sample of mushrooms collected from one of the restaurants associated with an illness cluster and found it to be contaminated with Salmonella. Further tests are underway to see if the Salmonella fingerprint from the product matches the one cultured from those who became ill. This investigation is ongoing.
If you are part of this outbreak and would like a free consultation with an experienced Salmonella lawyer, please contact the Pritzker Hageman Salmonella Legal Team. We have represented clients in every major Salmonella outbreak in the U.S. You can reach us by calling 1-888-377-8900, sending a text to 612-261-0856, or by completing the form below. There is no obligation and we don’t get paid unless we win.