Contaminated Kibble Sickens 14 People

Multiple brands of dry pet food produced by Diamond Pet Foods at their Gaston, South Carolina manufacturing facility has been linked to fourteen Salmonella infections in nine states, according to CDC. Five people were hospitalized.

There is no indication as to how many dogs may have become infected.

The 14 confirmed outbreak cases were reported by Alabama (1), Connecticut (1), Michigan (1), Missouri (3), North Carolina (3), New Jersey (1), Ohio (2), Pennsylvania (1), and Virginia (1). More than three-fourths (77%) of the victims are female. The outbreak patients range in age from less than one year to 82 years old (median 48 years).

All 14 individuals were infected with a single rare strain of Salmonella Infantis. The outbreak strain was found in unopened bags of three different dry dog foods manufactured at the Gaston facility.

It was a routine test carried out by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development that first pointed the finger at Diamond Pet Foods. On April 2nd, the agency’s lab found Salmonella in an unopened bag of Diamond Naturals Lamb Meal & Rice dry dog food that had been collected from a retail location on march 14th. CDC’s PulseNet system made the connection between the genetic strain recovered from the dog food and the strain of Salmonella Infantis that had sickened a number of people.

Interviews of the outbreak patients established that 70% of them had been in contact with a dog in the week before becoming ill. Four out of five people who could remember the type of dog food they had contacted identified a dog food produced by Diamond Pet Foods.

Ohio, which reported two outbreak cases, was responsible for finding the outbreak strain from an opened package of Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul Adult Light Formula dry dog food collected from a patient’s home, and from an unopened bag of the same product obtained from a retail store. FDA found Salmonella in a sample of Diamond Puppy Formula obtained during an inspection of the Gaston manufacturing plant.

On April 6th, Diamond Pet Foods recalled a single production batch of Diamond Naturals Lamb Meal & Rice, due to “potential” contamination with Salmonella. The recall notice assured consumers that “[n]o illnesses have been reported and no other Diamond manufactured products are affected.”

The company expanded its recall on April 26th to include one production run of Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul Adult Light Formula. This time, the company acknowledged that one bag of the dry dog food had tested positive for Salmonella. And instead of its previous blanket assurance, Diamond told consumers that “[n]o dog illnesses have been reported.” Four days later, Diamond added a limited number of production codes of Diamond Puppy Formula to the recall list, again assuring that no dog illnesses had been reported.

Delivery of products manufactured at Diamond Pet Food’s Gaston location has been suspended since April 8th. Although the company hasn’t specifically said so, it’s likely that production also has been suspended while FDA carries out its plant investigation. That investigation will include environmental sampling in the production and warehouse areas, as well as additional finished product and ingredient tests. I would be very surprised if the recall is not expanded to include all dry dog food manufactured at the Gaston plant over the last several months.

This is not the first time that Salmonella-contaminated dry dog food has been the source of human illnesses. Pet food produced in the Pennsylvania manufacturing plant of Mars Petcare US was responsible for a three-year long outbreak of Salmonella Schwarzengrund infections, beginning in 2006.

Dry dog food – kibble – is not a sterile product. As we have been reminded by this outbreak, it can be contaminated with Salmonella and should be handled with the same care as is used when handling other potentially contaminated foods, such as raw meats and poultry.

CDC offers this advice to pet owners:

Consumers should check their homes for recalled dog food products and discard them promptly. Consumers with questions about recalled dog food may contact Diamond Pet Foods at telephone number (800) 442-0402 or visit http://www.diamondpetrecall.com.
Follow the tips listed on Salmonella from Dry Pet Food and Treats to help prevent an infection with Salmonella from handling dry pet food and treats.
People who think they might have become ill after contact with dry pet food or with an animal that has eaten dry pet food should consult their health care providers. Infants, older adults, and persons with impaired immune systems are more likely than others to develop severe illness.
People who think their animal might have become ill after eating dry pet food should consult their veterinary-care providers.
Read Additional Information for Pet Owners to learn the signs and symptoms of salmonellosis in dogs and cats, and to understand how to deal with possible Salmonella illness in your pet.

Also, be aware that dogs may be infected with Salmonella – and may shed the bacteria in their stool – without showing any outward symptoms of illness. If your pet has consumed a Diamond Pet Foods dry dog food, be especially careful to wash your hands after handling it, and supervise closely any interaction between children and your pet.

Why I STILL Don’t Eat Sushi

Four years ago last month, I wrote an article titled “Why I Don’t Eat Sushi Or Sashimi” after ten patrons of a restaurant in Kisai, Japan were diagnosed with cholera contracted as a result of having eaten contaminated sashimi.

I was taken to task by a reader who pointed out that FDA and the European Union require that fish used for sushi and sashimi be frozen before consumption in order to kill parasites. “So while there might be issues in Japan and other places,” my reader opined, “the EU and USA are relatively safe places to eat sashimi and sushi.”

In response to this comment, I explained that freezing the fish does not provide any protection against food poisoning bacteria such as Salmonella, unsanitary handling practices, cross-contamination or poor temperature control.

I suggest that the 258 victims of this year’s Salmonella Bareilly/Salmonella Nchanga outbreak would agree that eating raw sushi may be a risky business – especially when the sushi contains Nakaochi Scrape.

Today’s update from CDC revealed that the Salmonella outbreak now covers 24 states, including California, where the importer of the contaminated tuna is located. Thirty-two out of 258 outbreak victims have been hospitalized.

Sushi Case Count Map As of May 2, 2012 (source CDC)

Victims of this outbreak range in age from 4 to 86 years (median age of 30). More than half (57%) of the confirmed case patients are female. Illness onset dates range between January 28th and April 20th.

The Epi curve (a bar chart showing illness onset dates) clearly indicates that additional cases are likely to be reported. The shaded area in this chart indicates the time frame within which additional cases may have developed, but have not yet been confirmed or reported to CDC.

Confirmed infections by date of illness onset as of May 2, 2012 (source CDC)

While this outbreak plays out, CDC continues to offer the following advice:

CDC’s Advice to Consumers

Do not eat the recalled frozen raw yellowfin tuna product, known as Nakaochi Scrape, from Moon Marine USA Corporation. This product is tuna backmeat that is scraped from the bones of tuna and may be used to make sushi, particularly “spicy tuna” sushi.
If you purchase “spicy tuna” or other sushi, sashimi, ceviche, or similar dishes that might contain Nakaochi Scrape tuna product from a restaurant or grocery store, check with the establishment to make sure that it does not contain raw recalled product from Moon Marine USA Corporation. When in doubt, don’t eat it.
Persons who think they might have become ill from eating possibly contaminated raw Nakaochi Scrape tuna product should consult their healthcare providers.
Infants, older adults, pregnant women, and persons with impaired immune systems are more likely than others to develop severe illness and should not eat raw or partially cooked fish or shellfish. If you are unsure of your risk, ask your healthcare provider.

CDC’s Advice to Retailers and Establishments

Do not serve raw recalled frozen raw yellowfin tuna product, known as Nakaochi Scrape, from Moon Marine USA Corporation. If you do not know the source of your raw scraped yellowfin tuna product, check with your supplier.

CDC and FDA have been close-mouthed, as usual, regarding the retail distribution of the Nakaochi Scrape tuna product that is behind this Salmonella outbreak. California, though, has published a list of restaurants and sushi bars that are known to have been supplied with the implicated tuna.

Intercity Packers Beef Behind Ottawa Salmonella Outbreak

The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) confirmed this weekend that a production lot of Beef Burger Meat Mix 80/20 – recalled on April 6th by Intercity Packers (East) Ltd – was the source of an outbreak of Salmonella illnesses that sickened 50 people in Ottawa during March.

The Ottawa outbreak victims – including 40 children ranging in age from 15 months to 18 years – consisted mainly of students and staff at a day care and at more than a dozen schools in the Ottawa area. Three people were hospitalized as a result of their infections.

The outbreak was traced to The Lunch Lady, a caterer that supplied lunches to the affected schools and to the day care facility. Investigations carried out at the catering premises revealed the presence of Salmonella Typhimurium in a March 13th sample of frozen uncooked ground beef, and the presence of Salmonella Heidelberg in raw Halal chicken sampled on March 15th.

Traceback investigations identified the contaminated beef as having originated from Intercity Packers (East) Ltd., located in Mississauga, Ontario.

The recalled meat, identified as Intercity Packers Ltd Brand Beef Burger Meat Mix 80/20, was sold in 5 kg cases (each containing 2 x 2.5 kg units) bearing UPC 90066172180172 and lot code 046. The affected product can be identified by the Establishment number (EST) 503 that appears on the outer cases. The chubs inside the case do not carry any label. The product was distributed to public and commercial food establishments in Ontario and Newfoundland, and possibly also to retailers in Newfoundland.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency reports that Ontario and local public health authorities are participating in the outbreak investigation, including in parts of southern Ontario outside of Ottawa. Neither the total number of illnesses nor geographic locations where other suspected outbreak-related illnesses are under investigation have been revealed. PHAC has described the outbreak as comprising “more than 50 illnesses” in Ontario.

On March 2nd, Toronto Public Health reported an unusually high incidence of Salmonella illnesses – 114 cases during the first two months of 2012. Included in these cases were an outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium illnesses among attendees at a large catered event in York Region that took place on February 11th, and a separate outbreak of Salmonella Heidelberg illnesses that across the Greater Toronto Area.

Requests for additional information sent to Toronto Public Health, PHAC, the Ontario Ministry of Health and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency so far have elicited only “canned” referrals to the PHAC and CFIA web sites. A request emailed to Intercity Packers for comment has not yet received a reply.

The recalled Beef Burger Mix was identified as bearing lot code 046, which indicates that it likely was produced on February 15th – too late to be responsible for the February 11th York Region outbreak cluster of Salmonella Typhimurium infections, even if burgers were on the menu at the event.

It would not be unusual – depending on the findings of the investigation – for the recall to be expanded to include additional production lots predating or subsequent to the lot that already has been recalled.

eFoodAlert Advice to Consumers

Consumers in Newfoundland who may have purchased this product at retail should check their freezers and discard any suspect product.
Any consumer in Ontario and Newfoundland who develops gastroenteritis (diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea, low-grade fever) within seven days of consuming a beef burger – especially in a restaurant, cafeteria, institution or at a catered event – should seek medical attention.