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Multistate Outbreak of Salmonella Bredeney Infections Linked to Peanut Butter Manufactured By Sunland, Inc.

Posted October 5, 2012 11:00 AM ET

At a Glance:

Case Count: 35
States: 19
Deaths: 0
Hospitalizations: 8
Recall: Yes

More Information:

Latest Case Count Map

Persons infected with the outbreak strains of Salmonella Bredeney, by State

Click map to view case count map.

Latest Epi Curve

Persons infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Bredeney, by date of illness onset

Click graph to view updated & previous epi curve graphs.

Highlights

Read the Advice to Consumers »
A total of 35 persons infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Bredeney have been reported from 19 states.
- Eight ill persons have been hospitalized, and no deaths have been reported.
- 63% percent of ill persons are children under the age of 10 years.
Collaborative investigation efforts of state, local, and federal public health and regulatory agencies indicate that Trader Joe's Valencia Creamy Salted Peanut Butter made with Sea Salt, manufactured by Sunland, Inc. of Portales, New Mexico, is a likely source of this outbreak.
- Testing conducted by the Washington State Department of Agriculture laboratory isolated the outbreak strain from an opened jar of Trader Joe’s Valencia Creamy Peanut Butter collected from a case-patient’s home.
- On October 4, 2012, Sunland Inc. expanded its ongoing recall [PDF - 10 pages] to include all products made in the Sunland nut butter production facility between March 1, 2010 and September 24, 2012.
- On October 5, 2012, the FDA announced that environmental samples taken in the Sunland Inc. nut butter production facility show the presence of Salmonella.
There have also been a number of recalls related to the expanded Sunland Inc. recall of products which include peanut butter and other products made with nuts and seeds.
Based on available information, CDC recommends that consumers do not eat recalled peanut butter or other recalled products containing nuts and seeds and dispose of any remaining jars of product in the home or return the product to the place of purchase.
- This is especially important for children under the age of 5 years, older adults, and people with weak immune systems.

October 5, 2012

Case Count Update

A total of 35 persons infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Bredeney have been reported from 19 states. Five new cases have been reported from three states since September 25, 2012: California (3), Missouri (1), and Texas (1).

Among persons for whom information is available, illness onset dates range from June 14, 2012, to September 18, 2012. Ill persons range in age from less than 1 year to 79 years, with a median age of 7 years. Sixty-three percent of ill persons are children under the age of 10 years. Sixty-three percent of ill persons are male. Among 30 persons with available information, 8 (27%) patients reported being hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.

Illnesses that occurred after August 27, 2012 might not be reported yet due to the time it takes between when a person becomes ill and when the illness is reported.

Investigation Update

Twenty-one (75%) of 28 ill persons interviewed report shopping at Trader Joe’s locations across the United States. Twenty-one (100%) of Trader Joe’s shoppers reported purchasing and eating peanut butter from Trader Joe’s. Nineteen (90%) of 21 ill persons report eating Trader Joe’s Valencia Creamy Salted Peanut Butter made with Sea Salt in the week before becoming ill. Two (10%) of 21 ill persons report eating Trader Joe’s Valencia Peanut Butter with Roasted Flaxseed. Trader Joe's Valencia Creamy Salted Peanut Butter made with Sea Salt and Valencia Peanut Butter with Roasted Flaxseed are manufactured by Sunland, Inc. All 21 (100%) of these ill persons reported eating one of the two Trader Joe’s branded peanut butters covered by the Sunland recall [PDF - 5 pages].

Testing conducted by the Washington State Department of Agriculture laboratory isolated the outbreak strain of Salmonella Bredeney from an opened jar of Trader Joe’s Valencia Creamy Peanut Butter collected from a case-patient’s home.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is currently conducting an inspection of Sunland, Inc. manufacturing facilities in Portales, New Mexico. On October 5, 2012 the FDA announced that environmental samples taken in the Sunland Inc. nut butter production facility show the presence of Salmonella. Further analysis to identify the type of Salmonella is pending. Environmental samples are samples taken from various surfaces in the production or manufacturing facility that would likely harbor bacteria.

September 25, 2012

Case Count Update

A total of 30 persons infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Bredeney have been reported from 19 states. The number of ill people identified in each state with the outbreak strain is as follows: Arizona (1), California (2), Connecticut (3), Illinois (1), Louisiana (1), Massachusetts (3), Maryland (1), Michigan (1), Minnesota (1), Missouri (1), Nevada (1), New Jersey (2), New York (1), North Carolina (1), Pennsylvania (2), Rhode Island (1), Texas (4), Virginia (1), and Washington (2).

Among persons for whom information is available, illness onset dates range from June 11, 2012 to September 11, 2012. Ill persons range in age from less than 1 year to 77 years, with a median age of 7 years. Sixty-three percent of ill persons are children under the age of 10 years. Sixty-six percent of ill persons are male. Among 13 persons with available information, 4 (31%) patients reported being hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.

Illnesses that occurred after August 30, 2012 might not be reported yet due to the time it takes between when a person becomes ill and when the illness is reported.

Initial Announcement

September 22, 2012

CDC is collaborating with public health officials in several states and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to investigate a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Bredeney infections. Preliminary results from this ongoing joint investigation indicate that Trader Joe’s Valencia Creamy Salted Peanut Butter made with Sea Salt is a likely source of this outbreak.

Public health investigators are using DNA “fingerprints” of Salmonella bacteria obtained through diagnostic testing with pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, or PFGE, to identify cases of illness that may be part of this outbreak. They are using data from PulseNet, the national subtyping network made up of state and local public health laboratories and federal food regulatory laboratories that performs molecular surveillance of foodborne infections... (show more »)

A total of 29 ill persons infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Bredeney have been reported from 18 states. This number may change as more cases are confirmed.

Among persons for whom information is available, illness onset dates range from June 11, 2012 to September 2, 2012. Ill persons range in age from less than 1 year to 77 years, with a median age of 7 years. Seventy-six percent of ill persons are children under 18 years old. Sixty-four percent of ill persons are male. Among 11 ill persons with available information, 4 (36%) reported being hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.

This PFGE pattern has rarely been seen before in PulseNet, and in the past typically caused 5-8 cases per year. Illnesses that occurred after August 29, 2012 might not be reported yet due to the time it takes between when a person becomes ill and when the illness is reported.

Investigation of the Outbreak

State public health officials are interviewing ill persons to obtain information regarding foods they might have eaten and other exposures in the week before illness. Preliminary information indicates that Trader Joe’s Valencia Creamy Salted Peanut Butter made with Sea Salt is a likely source for the Salmonella Bredeney infections. Fourteen (100%) of 14 ill persons interviewed report shopping at Trader Joe’s locations across the United States. Twelve (86%) of 14 ill persons report eating Trader Joe’s Valencia Creamy Salted Peanut Butter made with Sea Salt in the week before becoming ill. This peanut butter is sold at Trader Joe's grocery stores nationwide and on the internet. Investigations are ongoing to determine if any other foods sold primarily at Trader Joe’s grocery stores are also a source in this outbreak.

CDC and state and local public health partners are continuing laboratory surveillance through PulseNet to identify additional ill persons and to interview ill persons about foods eaten before becoming ill. FDA is continuing to work closely with CDC and state partners during this investigation. CDC will update the public on the progress of this investigation as information becomes available.(« show less)

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