Third Minnesota Death in Peanut Butter Salmonella Outbreak
Minnesota health officials say a third nursing home resident in the state has died after becoming infected with the same strain of Salmonella Typhimurium bacteria that is causing hundreds of illnesses nationwide.
The woman, in her 80s, is the seventh person in the country to have her death associated with the outbreak. Officials are declining to disclose her name or say when she died.
The two other Minnesotans are Shirley Mae Almer, 72, of Perham, who died Dec. 21; and Clifford Tousignant, 78, of Duluth, who died Jan. 12. Almer and Tousignant were both staying in nursing homes in Brainerd that served King Nut peanut butter later found to be contaminated with the outbreak strain of Salmonella. Mrs. Almer and Mr. Tousignant were both infected with Salmonella and had other health conditions.
Fred Pritzker, a leading food safety lawyer, is set to file a lawsuit in Hennepin County District Court for the heirs of Mrs. Almer. The Salmonela wrongful death lawsuit will name Peanut Corporation of America, the maker of bulk peanut butter and peanut paste that federal officials have said is the likely source of the deadly outbreak.
In all, there have been 491 illnesses in 43 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Two deaths were reported in Virginia, one in North Carolina and one in Idaho.
In Minnesota, there have been 36 cases — fourth most in the country. A state Health Department epidemeologist, Dr. Carolota Medus, told the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infections Disease Research and Policy that the Minnesota cases started showing up in November.
She said health investigators got a big break when a physician from northern Minnesota reported a cluster of diarrheal illnesses at a nursing home. When clusters in other institutions occurred, state investigators confirmed it was Salmonella and gathered food invoices from the places and noticed that they had something in common: King Nut peanut butter from the Sysco food distributor based in Fargo.
At the nursing home where Mrs. Almer was staying, the state took samples of peanut butter from a container that had been in use there. What lab specialists found was the same strain of Salmonella alive in the outbreak. The discovery turned the attention of federal authorities to Peanut Corporation of America’s processing plant in Blakely, Georgia.
Since the Minnesota departments of health and agriculture announced their finding on January 9, other government labs have found additional evidence tying the outbreak to the Georgia plant. The facility has been closed, its 50 workers laid off and a massive recall of peanut butter and peanut paste has ensued.
Because the bulk peanut butter and peanut paste from the South Georgia plant were sold to more than 80 food companies as ingredients for other products, more than 180 items have been recalled across the nation because they might contain adulterated peanut butter or paste. Among the earlier products pulled were peanut butter snack crackers made by Kellogg Company under the Austin and Keebler brand names.
Tags: Peanut Butter Salmonella Recall, peanut corporation of america lawsuit
