Ongoing Citterio brand Premium Italian-Style Salame Sticks Salmonella Outbreak
As of October 27, 2021, one more illness has been reported. A total of 21 people infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella I 4,[5],12:i:- have been reported from 8 states. Illnesses started on dates ranging from September 18, 2021, to October 3, 2021.
Sick people range in age from 2 to 75 years, with a median age of 12. Most of the sick people (81%) are younger than 18, and 62% are female. Of 18 people with information available, 6 have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.
The true number of sick people in an outbreak is likely much higher than the number reported, and the outbreak may not be limited to the states with known illnesses. This is because many people recover without medical care and are not tested for Salmonella. In addition, recent illnesses may not yet be reported as it usually takes 3 to 4 weeks to determine if a sick person is part of an outbreak.
State and local public health officials are interviewing people about the foods they ate in the week before they got sick. Among 15 people interviewed, all (100%) reported eating salami sticks, and 14 (93%) reported eating or maybe eating Citterio brand Premium Italian-Style Salame Sticks. Thirteen people bought Citterio brand Premium Italian-Style Salame Sticks from Trader Joe’s, and one person bought them from Wegmans grocery store.
WGS analysis of bacteria from 14 people’s samples and one raw ground pork sample predicted resistance to one or more of the following antibiotics: ampicillin, kanamycin, streptomycin, sulfamethoxazole, and tetracycline. Standard antibiotic susceptibility testing by CDC’s National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) laboratory is currently underway. Most people with Salmonella illness recover without antibiotics. However, if antibiotics are needed, this resistance is unlikely to affect the choice of antibiotic used to treat most people.
CDC is continuing to advise not to eat, sell, or serve Citterio brand Premium Italian-Style Salame Sticks regardless of where they were purchased.
Ending Fratelli Beretta Uncured Antipasto products Salmonella Outbreak
A total of 40 people infected with the outbreak strains of Salmonella Infantis (14) or Salmonella Typhimurium (26) were reported from 17 states. The true number of sick people in the outbreak was likely much higher than the number reported, and the outbreak may not be limited to the states with known illnesses. This is because many infected people recover without medical care and are not tested for Salmonella.
Illnesses started on dates ranging from May 9, 2021, to August 16, 2021. Sick people ranged in age from 1 to 91 years, with a median age of 41, and 51% were male. Of 35 people with information available, 12 were hospitalized. No deaths were reported.
State and local public health officials interviewed people about the foods they ate in the week before they got sick. Of the 28 people interviewed, 26 (93%) reported eating a variety of Italian-style meats. Among 15 people who remembered the specific product or had shopper card records showing a purchase, 14 had Fratelli Beretta brand prepackaged Uncured Antipasto trays.
Public health investigators used the PulseNet system to identify illnesses that were part of this outbreak. CDC PulseNet manages a national database of DNA fingerprints of bacteria that cause foodborne illnesses. DNA fingerprinting is performed on bacteria using a method called whole genome sequencing (WGS).
For each outbreak strain, WGS showed that bacteria from sick people’s samples are closely related genetically. This suggests that people in each outbreak got sick from eating the same food.
Outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium infections
WGS of bacteria from 26 sick people’s samples predicted resistance to ampicillin for 25 (96%) samples and to chloramphenicol, streptomycin, sulfamethoxazole, and tetracycline for all samples. Testing of three clinical isolates using standard antibiotic susceptibility testing methods by CDC’s National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) laboratory confirmed these results (streptomycin was not tested by this method). Most people with Salmonella illness recover without antibiotics. However, if antibiotics are needed, illnesses in this outbreak may be difficult to treat with ampicillin and may require a different antibiotic choice.
Outbreak of Salmonella Infantis infections
WGS of bacteria from 12 people’s samples did not predict any antibiotic resistance. Testing of two clinical isolates using standard antibiotic susceptibility testing methods by CDC’s National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) laboratory also found no resistance.
On August 27, 2021, USDA-FSIS announced that Fratelli Beretta was recalling one of their Uncured Antipasto products. The trays have the establishment number “EST. 7543B” inside the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s mark of inspection.
Salmonella: Marler Clark, The Food Safety Law Firm, is the nation’s leading law firm representing victims of Salmonella outbreaks. The Salmonella lawyers of Marler Clark have represented thousands of victims of Salmonella and other foodborne illness outbreaks and have recovered over $800 million for clients. Marler Clark is the only law firm in the nation with a practice focused exclusively on foodborne illness litigation. Our Salmonella lawyers have litigated Salmonella cases stemming from outbreaks traced to a variety of foods, such as cantaloupe, tomatoes, ground turkey, salami, sprouts, cereal, peanut butter, and food served in restaurants. The law firm has brought Salmonella lawsuits against such companies as Cargill, ConAgra, Peanut Corporation of America, Sheetz, Taco Bell, Subway and Wal-Mart.
If you or a family member became ill with a Salmonella infection, including Reactive Arthritis or Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), after consuming food and you’re interested in pursuing a legal claim, contact the Marler Clark Salmonella attorneys for a free case evaluation.
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