It looks like the Salmonella outbreak in Alamosa, Colorado last year was the result of a faulty drinking water storage tank and animal waste.

A report from the state of Colorado’s Department of Public Health and Environment indicates that the city of Alamosa neglected to act on a long-standing recommendation to inspect a deteriorating drinking water tank, said 9News. The recommendation was made years prior to the 2008 Salmonella outbreak that caused hundreds to fall ill and resulted in one death. The report was released yesterday. (more…)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is issuing this health alert to warn consumers not to use Pet Carousel Pig Ears and Beef Hooves Pet Treats because the products may be contaminated with Salmonella. The products were distributed nationwide in both bulk and retail packaging for sale in pet food and retail chain stores. Pet Carousel is based in Sanger, California.

The FDA reported that the recalled Pet Carousel Pig Ears and Beef Hoove Pet Treats were manufactured under conditions that facilitate cross-contamination within batches or lots. Although no illnesses associated with these products have been reported, the FDA is advising consumers in possession of these products to not handle or feed them to their pets. (more…)

A case filed by Sheetz Inc. over how one of its suppliers owed money for providing Sheetz with Salmonella tainted tomatoes from July 2004, has reached a settlement, said the Altoona Mirror.

It was expected that the jury would spend the bulk of this week hearing the case between Sheetz and Coronet Foods Inc. the supplier, said the Altoona Mirror. Coronet is located in Wheeling, West Virginia. The trial was called off after the judge handling the case was told of the out-of-court settlement, which was received Friday and is confidential, reported the Altoona News. Although the terms of the settlement remain confidential, Sheetz did acknowledge that it suffered damages in excess of $11 million, the Altoona Mirror added. (more…)

Another link between Salmonella and peanut butter is making headlines. Food Safety News reports that the East Wind Community Inc., a 36-year-old commune located in the Missouri Ozarks, has an issue with Salmonella in its nut butter manufacturing facility.

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), inspectors collected samples from the plant; laboratory analysis revealed the Salmonella pathogen, said Food Safety News. The commune produces a variety of nut products—since the 1980s—including, said Food Safety News, “Almond Butter, Peanut Butter, Organic Peanut Butter, Roasted Peanuts, Cashew Butter, Tahini, and Organic Tahini.” (more…)

Since 1975, federal law has prohibited the sale of small pet turtles with shells, called carapace, that are shorter than four inches in shell length; however, public health officials say enforcement is spotty. Perhaps it is this uneven monitoring that allows the tiny banned pets to be sold in pet stores across the country more than three decades after the ban, an issue on which we have long been writing.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned distribution and sale of these turtles after a quarter of a million infants and small children were diagnosed with turtle-associated Salmonellosis. Turtles with shells larger than four inches are not considered a threat by the agency, as young children will likely not try to fit the animals in their mouths. The ban allows for exceptions, however, such at exportation to other countries and sale to experts for legitimate scientific, educational, and exhibition purposes; selling turtles to pet stores is not among legitimate exceptions. (more…)

About 1,120 cartons of Del Monte cantaloupe is being recalled over concerns of Salmonella contamination. Mercury News announced that Raley’s grocers are recalling the potentially contaminated cantaloupe that was sold in Northern California and Nevada. The recall was initiated after routine testing detected the Salmonella pathogen in the Del Monte cantaloupe, Mercury News said, citing the California Department of Public Health.

Mercury News reported that the recalled cantaloupe was sold throughout the San Francisco Bay Area at Raley’s and at Raley’s subsidiaries: Nob Hill Foods and Food Source. The cantaloupes were purchased between October 5 and October 16; consumers can exchange the recalled cantaloupe for full refund, said Mercury News. (more…)

Another outbreak of salmonella poisoning has been linked to alfalfa sprouts. This time, the contamination has sickened one dozen people in the state of Michigan. The Associated Press (AP) also reported that the outbreak has resulted in at least two hospitalizations, to date.

According to the AP, the Michigan Departments of Agriculture and Community Health released a public-health alert late last week warning residents in that state to stay away from raw alfalfa sprouts until it can be determined how the outbreak originated. According to officials involved in the outbreak investigation, the 12 cases reported thus far have been of Salmonella Typhimurium and have been confirmed in Bay, Genesee, Kent, Macomb, Oakland, Washtenaw, and Wayne counties, said the AP. It seems as if the outbreak began August 17 and September 18. (more…)

Yesterday, U.S. bankruptcy judge, William E. Anderson, ordered Peanut Corporation of America’s (PCA) insurance carrier to ensure $12 million are available to reimburse those who suffered health complications as a result of the massive Salmonella outbreak that originated from contamination at the PCA, reported CNN.

According Trustee Roy V. Creasy of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Virginia, Lynchburg Division, claims have to be submitted to a claims administrator by October 31, said CNN. (more…)

Salmonella

fears have prompted a recall of bunched spinach sold under “Queen Victoria” and”Tubby” labels. The spinach wasdistributed by Ippolito International LP of Salinas, California.

A total of 1,715 cartons of bunched spinach are involved in this recall. According to a statement issued by the California Department of Public Health , 1,515 were packed under the “Queen Victoria” label and distributed in California, Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, and, in Canada, British Columbia, Ontario, and Manitoba. Another 200 sold under the “Tubby” label were shipped to California and New York.

The affected spinach was harvested Sept. 1 through Sept. 3 and distributed to retail, food service and wholesale buyers. It was packed in 12-count and 24-count bunches in cardboard boxes with “Spinach” printed on the side panel, in wire bound crates, or in reusable plastic containers.

The 12-count and 24-count spinach bunches were bound with a twist tie which says “PLU 4090 UPC 33383-65200,” according to the agency’s statement.

The recalled bunched spinach was labeled with the following Code Date Stickers, located on the outside edge panel of the carton: 10522441 5 205 (harvested Sept. 1, 2009); 10522451 5 205 (harvested Sept. 2, 2009), and 10522461 5 205 (harvested Sept. 3, 2009). The Tubby label was packed only on Code Date 10522451 5 205.

Salmonella is an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis, and arthritis.

According to federal and state health authorities, a Salmonella outbreak that was at its strongest last month may be over. William Keene, senior epidemiologist at the Public Health Division in Oregon said that the first cases began appearing across the country in the middle of July and seemed to have slowed down in August, reported Oregon Live.

At least 124 people nationwide fell ill with Salmonella. Salmonella is an organism, which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems, such as those undergoing chemotherapy or patients diagnosed with HIV and AIDs. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella poisoning often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis, and arthritis.

Although there were no deaths related to this particular outbreak, two people were hospitalized and one’s symptoms were classified as “severe,” according to Keene, reported Oregon Live.

While the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) remain unclear as to the exact origin of this outbreak, it is widely believed by the experts working on the investigation that shredded lettuce is to blame, according to Keene. “We’re trying to learn what happened and what steps can be taken to reduce risk,” he said, quoted Oregon Live.

The outbreak involved the strain Salmonella Typhimurium.
Although no recall has been linked to the outbreak and shredded lettuce is believed to be the source, at least one lettuce producer issued a voluntary lettuce recall. It is believed that if lettuce is to blame, said Oregon Live, that tainted batches are now well beyond their shelf life.

Some Salmonella bacteria are resistant to antibiotics, largely due to the use of antibiotics to promote the growth of feed animals. Salmonella is usually found in food contaminated with animal feces and is a group of bacteria that passes from the feces of people or animals to other people or animals, causing contamination when food is improperly stored or handled and when preparers do not wash their hands or sanitize implements involved in food storage. Salmonella is the most frequently reported cause of food-related outbreaks of stomach illness worldwide and

Salmonella poisoning can lead to Reiter’s Syndrome, a difficult-to-treat reactive arthritis characterized by severe joint pain, irritation of the eyes, and painful urination.

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Outbreaks linked to lettuce are particularly challenging, noted Oregon Live, because while consumers might be better able to recall eating a steak, for example, remembering lettuce in a sandwich poses a greater challenge. In this case, a good amount of those sickened reported having eaten at fast-food restaurants, said Oregon Live.