A total of 116 individuals infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Bareilly have been reported from 20 states and the District of Columbia. The 16 new cases are from Florida (1), Georgia (1), Illinois (1), Maryland (1), Massachusetts (4), Missouri (1), New York (1), Pennsylvania (2), Rhode Island (1), and Wisconsin (3).
Among 100 persons for whom information is available, illness onset dates range from January 28 to March 31, 2012. Ill persons range in age from 4 to 78 years, with a median age of 31. Fifty percent of patients are female. Among 71 persons with available information, 12 (17%) reported being hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.
State public health officials are interviewing ill persons to obtain information regarding foods they might have eaten and other exposures in the week prior to illness. On initial interviews, many of the ill persons reported consuming sushi, sashimi, or similar foods in a variety of locations in the week before becoming ill. Among 51 ill persons for whom information is available, 35 (69%) reported consuming sushi, sashimi, or similar foods in the week before illness onset. This percentage is higher than expected compared with results from a survey of healthy persons in which 5% of persons reported consuming sushi, sashimi, or ceviche made with raw fish or shellfish in the 7 days before they were interviewed. The investigation into specific types of sushi is ongoing.
Some past sushi-related outbreaks: