Salmonella in Peanut Butter Confirmed
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has found evidence that commercially sold peanut butter is the “likely source” of a Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak that may have contributed to three deaths.
In all, the CDC said Monday that 410 people in 43 states have been sickened by the same genetically matched bacteria. The government health agency said it is still investigating the cause of the outbreak, but for the first time CDC officials said Monday that the King Nut brand of peanut butter was the only peanut butter in use at long-term care facilities, hospitals, schools and other institutions where clusters of infections occurred in several states.
“To date, no association has been found with common brand names of peanut butter sold in grocery stores,” the CDC said.
Ohio-based King Nut Companies has voluntarily recalled all King Nut and Parnell’s Pride containers of peanut butter that it sells. The company has said the products are only sold to commercial food service accounts, not retail stores. The peanut butter is manufactured by Virginia-based Peanut Corporation of America.
Health investigators in Minnesota first identified King Nut peanut butter as the possible source of the outbreak. Over the weekend, the state’s departments of agriculture and health did further testing of Salmonella bacteria they found in a five-pound tub of King Nut creamy peanut butter that was in use at a long-term care facility where one of Minnesota’s 30 illnesses was reported.
According to a press release, the lab analyses confirmed a genetic match between the strains of Salmonella bacteria found in the container and the strains of bacteria associated with the outbreak illnesses around the country.
But the Minnesota team will continue its investigation. Officials said they will test tubs of the peanut butter never before opened. There is a chance the open container that tested positive for the outbreak strain of Salmonella was cross-contaminated from something else.
The CDC did not provide information about the three outbreak illnesses where death occurred. A spokesman for the Minnesota Department of Health has said a Minnesota woman in her 70s who had other health conditions died with an infection.
Advice to consumers:
The CDC said persons who think they may have become ill from eating peanut butter should consult their health care providers.
In addition, if you have been sickened by this outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium, you may be entitled to compensation (King Nut Peanut Butter Lawsuit). To contact our law firm, please call 612-338-0202, 1-800-377-8900 (toll-free) or submit our free case consultation form.
According to the latest breakdown of known cases from the CDC, 410 people have been sickened in 43 states. The top four states are Texas with 55 cases, Ohio with 53, Massachusetts with 40 and Minnesota with 30.
Among 388 persons with dates available, illness began between Sept. 15, 2008, and Jan. 7, 2009. Most illnesses began after Oct. 1. Patients range in age from less than 1 to 98 years; 48 percent are female and 18 percent have been hospitalized.
King Nut Peanut Butter Salmonella
There is a nationwide outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium poisoning that has stricken at least 399 people in 42 states. The number of cases will undoubtedly rise as further outbreak cases are detected.
A possible source of this outbreak is peanut butter sold by King Nut Companies of Solon, Ohio.
On Saturday, the company voluntarily recalled the peanut butter it sells just one day after the Minnesota Department of Health issued a product advisory against King Nut creamy peanut butter sold in five-pound tubs. The advisory stemmed from preliminary lab tests that found Salmonella bacteria in a five-pound open container of King Nut creamy peanut butter. The Minnesota health investigators said an epidemiological investigation had implicated the product as the likely source of 30 Salmonella infections in Minnesota. Those cases have the same genetic fingerprint as cases in the national outbreak. The results of tests conducted to confirm the linkage are expected soon.
One of the Minnesotans sickened in the outbreak died, but an official with the Minnesota Department of Health said the person — who was in her 70s –also had other health conditions. (Minnesota Salmonella wrongful death information)
King Nut peanut butter is distributed in Minnesota and other states to establishments such as long-term care facilities, hospitals, schools, universities, restaurants, delis, cafeterias and bakeries. King Nut peanut butter is not distributed for retail sale in grocery stores.
Salmonella gastroenteritis is the most common form of salmonellosis and generally requires an 8-48 hour incubation period (the time it takes to feel sick after eating food contaminated by Salmonella Typhimurium.) The illness may last from 2-5 days or longer if complications are present. The clinical course of human salmonellosis is usually characterized by acute onset of fever, abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea and sometimes vomiting. In some cases, particularly in the very young and in the elderly, the associated dehydration can become severe and life-threatening. In such cases, as well as in cases where Salmonella causes bloodstream infection, effective antimicrobials are essential drugs for treatment. Serious complications occur in a small proportion of cases.
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PritzkerLaw is one of the most experienced food safety law firms in the United States with involvement in practically every major food poisoning outbreak including the Peter Pan and Great Value peanut butter Salmonella outbreak that sickened hundreds of people less than two years ago.
If you have been sickened by this Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak, you may be entitled to compensation. Read how to prove a Salmonella case (King Nut peanut butter lawsuit).
