TORONTO — Laura Gieraltowski, lead of the Foodborne Outbreak Response Workforce on the CDC’s Outbreak Response and Prevention Department, Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Ailments, offered a evaluation of multistate outbreaks of Salmonella infections linked to melons grown in Indiana.
Talking on the annual convention of the Worldwide Affiliation for Meals Safety, Gieraltowski highlighted the outbreak in 2012, the place Salmonella-contaminated cantaloupes from a farm in southwest Indiana as the start of a regarding sample. The outbreak brought on sickness in 261 folks throughout 24 states, leading to 94 hospitalizations and three deaths.
2020 Salmonella Newport outbreak
Throughout her presentation on the annual convention of the Worldwide Affiliation for Meals Safety (IAFP), Gieraltowski mentioned the method concerned in tracing a 2020 Salmonella Newport outbreak again to cantaloupe consumption. The outbreak investigation recognized a Salmonella Newport cluster. A targeted questionnaire was utilized to assemble extra data, and shopper card numbers had been shared with the FDA to help within the traceback investigation. The investigation in the end linked the outbreak to cantaloupes, particularly these from a single Indiana melon grower.
Along with the traceback investigation, a joint inspection was carried out by the FDA and the Indiana State Division of Well being on the implicated farm. Environmental samples collected in the course of the inspection yielded Salmonella strains, though not the outbreak pressure. A number of non-outbreak-associated Salmonella strains had been remoted, together with Salmonella Typhimurium, Salmonella Javiana and one other pressure of Salmonella Newport. General, 90 % of the affected people reported consuming melon, with 60 % particularly mentioning cantaloupe. The outbreak affected 80 folks throughout 15 states, with 22 % requiring hospitalization.
2022 Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak
In 2022, an outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium was investigated. The cluster detection indicated a connection to the FDA soil samples from the 2020 Salmonella Newport outbreak. The investigation revealed that 100% of the surveyed people reported consuming melon, with 79 % mentioning cantaloupe and 73 % mentioning watermelon. The traceback investigation pointed to a standard Indiana melon packing home because the probably supply of the outbreak. Not like the 2020 outbreak, the 2022 outbreak was linked to a special melon grower positioned a number of miles away. The joint inspection by the FDA and the Indiana State Division of Well being resulted within the assortment of environmental samples.
The outbreak affected 87 people throughout 11 states, with 89 % reporting melon consumption and 44 % requiring hospitalization. The supply of the outbreak was recognized as cantaloupes from a single Indiana provider. Moreover, Salmonella strains had been remoted from the farm setting, suggesting the presence of a persistent environmental Salmonella reservoir. The Enhanced Salmonella Surveillance undertaking performed a vital position in detecting the outbreak early, permitting for speedy epidemiological and traceback investigations.
The sample of outbreaks has raised considerations about domestically grown cantaloupes, particularly the three outbreaks that had been all linked to Indiana-grown cantaloupes. Environmental and animal reservoirs had been recognized as probably contributors to the outbreaks, with animal agriculture and wildlife being potential sources. Cantaloupes themselves had been discovered to be inclined to Salmonella contamination, with irrigation water being a probable supply of contamination. The tough exterior rind of cantaloupes was additionally recognized as a possible hiding place for Salmonella micro organism.
On account of these outbreaks, the CDC plans to proceed the Enhanced Salmonella Surveillance undertaking in 2023. The aim is to detect outbreaks as early as doable by interviewing sufferers utilizing a standardized questionnaire and to determine and recall contaminated merchandise sooner. The CDC is actively monitoring Salmonella Typhimurium and Newport strains as reoccurring, rising and persisting (REP) strains. Collaboration with the FDA, state companions and business can also be underway to discover prevention actions that may assist forestall future cantaloupe-associated outbreaks.
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