Salmonella outbreak spreads to 47 states, involves more than 800 cases
An outbreak of Salmonella Newport infections linked to red onions has spread to 47 states and involves 869 reported cases, according to the CDC.
The outbreak, which was first reported in July, is considered rare due to onions being an uncommon primary vehicle for transmission. The CDC also announced an outbreak of Salmonella linked to bagged peaches that includes 68 cases in nine states.
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Since the CDC’s last update, 229 more cases from four new states — Arkansas, Rhode Island, Hawaii and Texas — have been linked to the outbreak. There have been 116 hospitalizations attributed to the outbreak, but no deaths.
The CDC previously advised consumers to dispose of any onions produced by Thomson International Inc., the California supplier implicated in the outbreak. Several cheese dips and spreads have since been recalled from supermarkets, including Kroger, Kroger Mid-Atlantic, Kroger Delta Division, Fry’s Food Stores, Fred Meyer and Smith’s.
According to the CDC, 46 of 68 patients who were asked what type of onions they consumed had consumed white onions. Additionally, 45 of the 68 individuals ate red onions and 33 ate any type of yellow onion in the week before their infection. The majority of infected people consumed more than one type of onion during the week before becoming ill.
Genome sequencing revealed 48 isolates from infected individuals did not show antibiotic resistance. Additionally, genome analysis indicated that a similar Salmonella outbreak in Canada is genetically related to the U.S. outbreak — suggesting a common source of infection.