Robin Erb of the Detroit Free Press reports that the Salmonella that is believed to have sickened 14 patients at Henry Ford Hospital last week is the “relatively rare” strain called Salmonella Isangi, according to the state health department.

It’s a strain so rare, state officials have asked the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention for more information about it, said Jim Collins, director of the communicable diseases division of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

Though there are no other clusters currently reported in the state or even elsewhere in the U.S., “it’s got a name, so it’s not unheard of,” he said. Though other types of Salmonella are not uncommon, Salmonella Isangi has been reported just four times in the past five years in Michigan, he added.

Still, what that means is still unclear.

Henry Ford Hospital officials are investigating the outbreak, but have released few other details including whether a source has been identified.

Collins said hospital officials reported the cases, as mandated, to the state and are currently working with state health officials to identify the cause.

“They’re looking at what procedures these people received, where they stayed at the hospital, and who their health care workers were while they were there,” Collins said.

​While experts say Salmonella is most often food-borne, Henry Ford officials say they don’t believe this outbreak is food-related.

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