On August 3, 2011, Cargill Meat Solutions Corporation, a Springdale, Arkansas, establishment recalled approximately 36 million pounds of ground turkey products that may have been contaminated with a multi-drug resistant strain of Salmonella Heidelberg. The products subject to recall were all comprised of ground turkey meat and had the establishment number “P-963” inside the USDA mark of inspection.
On September 11, 2011, Cargill Meat Solutions Corporation recalled another 185,000 pounds of ground turkey products after product samples at the plant tested positive for the outbreak strain of Salmonella Heidelberg based on sample results from an intensive in-plant investigation performed by FSIS. On September 27, 2011 FSIS reported that one positive sample was confirmed to have the outbreak strain and the isolate was multidrug resistant.
A total of 136 persons infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Heidelberg were reported from 34 states with illness onset dates between February 27 and September 13, 2011. The number of ill persons identified in each state was as follows: Alabama (1), Arkansas (1), Arizona (3), California (7), Colorado (4), Connecticut (1), Georgia (2), Illinois (16), Indiana (2), Iowa (2), Kansas (3), Kentucky (2), Louisiana (1), Massachusetts (4), Maryland (1), Michigan (12), Minnesota (2), Mississippi (2), Missouri (7), Nebraska (2), Nevada (1), New Jersey (1), New York (3), North Carolina (4), Ohio (12), Oklahoma (2), Oregon (1), Pennsylvania (8), South Dakota (3), Tennessee (2), Texas (18), Utah (1), Vermont (1), and Wisconsin (4).
Among persons for whom information was available, illnesses began on or after February 27, 2011. Ill persons ranged in age from less than 1 year to 90 years old, with a median age of 23 years old. Fifty-five percent were male. Among the 94 ill persons with available information, 37 (39%) were hospitalized. One death was reported.