Salmonella Outbreak Tied to Pasta Salad Springs Up in 5 States

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are working alongside state health officials to investigate another multistate outbreak of Salmonella infections, which have, this time, been tied to Spring Pasta Salad.

Salmonella outbreaks have been popping up all over the United States this summer with multistate outbreaks linked with Kellogg’s Honey Smacks and Pre-Cut Melon announced in June.

As of September 5, 2018, 92 cases of Salmonella Sandiego have been reported across 10 states. Seven individuals have been infected with a strain of Salmonella enterica subspecies IIIb and 2 people have been infected with both strains. Eighteen of the 79 individuals have required hospitalization for their illnesses; however, and no deaths have been reported so far, according to the CDC.

Further details indicate that the ill individuals range from in age from 1 to 89 years with a median age of 50; available data indicate that 61% of these individuals are female. The reported cases have illness onset dates ranging from June 21 to August 7.

As part of the investigation, health officials conducted interviews with 79 individuals who had fallen ill. Sixty of the 79 interviewed individuals (76%) reported consuming Spring Pasta Salad purchased from Hy-Vee grocery stores in the week prior to illness onset.

Early epidemiological evidence suggests a link to the Spring Pasta Salad sold at Hy-Vee grocery stores, according to the CDC. On July 16, 2018, Hy-Vee removed all Spring Pasta Salad products from stores after being notified of the situation. The following day, the company voluntarily recalled all Spring Pasta Salad products in all 5 affected states as well as 3 additional states where Hy-Vee stores are located due to potential contamination.

According to the recall announcement published by the FDA, the Spring Pasta Salad was packaged in 1 pound (16 oz) and 3 pound (48 oz) pre-packaged plastic containers that were available for purchase at all 244 Hy-Vee stores located throughout the United States. The expiration date range on the recalled products is between June 22, 2018 and August 3, 2018.

Symptoms of Salmonella include diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps which typically develop 12 to 72 hours following exposure to the bacteria. According to the FDA, in rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can get into the bloodstream and produce severe arterial infections, endocarditis and arthritis. Health care providers living in areas affected by the outbreak should be cognizant of these symptoms and consider Salmonella as a potential diagnosis if a patient presents with them.

This outbreak was resolved by the CDC on September 5, 2018.

For the final case counts associated with the multistate Salmonella Outbreak tied to Spring Pasta Salad, check out the Contagion® Outbreak Monitor.

Feature Picture Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Updated: September 5,2018 at 5:02 PM EDT to reflect updated case counts.