This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
29 states hit by outbreak of multidrug-resistant Salmonella linked to raw chicken
The CDC announced that 92 people in 29 states have been sickened in an outbreak of multidrug-resistant Salmonella linked to raw chicken products.
According to the agency, 21 people have been hospitalized and no deaths have been reported. Antibiotic resistance testing showed that the outbreak strain of Salmonella Infantis is resistant to multiple antibiotics, including common first-line treatments ciprofloxacin and ceftriaxone. Additionally, the strain is not susceptible to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, fosfomycin, gentamicin, kanamycin, nalidixic acid, streptomycin, sulfisoxazole, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole or tetracycline.
Because of the strain’s resistance, the CDC advised clinicians who are seeing patients with a suspected Salmonella infection to collect appropriate stool, urine or blood cultures and to order antimicrobial susceptibility testing. The CDC also recommended consulting an infectious disease specialist and reminding patients of proper hand hygiene. According to the CDC, the strain appears to be susceptible to azithromycin, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid and meropenem.
There have been a number of other Salmonella outbreaks in the United States this year, including one that led to the recall of over 200 million eggs and one that forced Kellogg’s to recall the breakfast cereal Honey Smacks.
In July, an outbreak of Salmonella was linked to raw turkey and officials suspected the contamination was widespread in the turkey industry. Similarly, although a source for the current outbreak has yet to be identified, the CDC reported that it is linked to “many types of raw chicken products from a variety of sources,” including raw chicken pet food, raw chicken products and live chickens, indicating that it may be widespread in the chicken industry.
The CDC and U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) have asked companies about steps they may be taking to reduce contamination, according to the CDC.
No recall has been issued, and the USDA-FSIS is monitoring the outbreak. – by Marley Ghizzone
References:
CDC. Outbreak of multidrug-resistant Salmonella infections linked to raw chicken products. https://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/infantis-10-18/index.html. Accessed October 17, 2018.
CDC. Advice to clinicians. https://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/infantis-10-18/advice.html. Accessed October 17,2018.
CDC. Outbreak of multidrug-resistant Salmonella infections linked to raw turkey products. https://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/reading-07-18/index.html. Accessed October 18, 2018.