FDA continues investigations into several foodborne illness outbreaks

The Food and Drug Administration is continuing to investigate several food-related outbreaks of infections, with patient numbers slowly increasing.

Sources of pathogens behind the outbreak infections have not been identified in five of nine outbreaks under investigation.

One outbreak of infections from E. coli O157:H7 has been declared over with 10 patients identified. The investigation status remains “open” according to the agency. Traceback has been initiated in relation to the outbreak but the FDA has not reported what food or foods are involved.

Three other outbreaks from as yet unidentified sources have seen patient counts go up in the past week. 

• The count for an outbreak of Salmonella Braenderup in a not yet identified product has increased from 40 to 42.
• The count for an outbreak of Salmonella Paratyphi B var. L(+) tartrate+ in a not yet identified product has increased from 13 to 14.
• The count for an outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes in a not yet identified product has increased from 21 to 22.

An investigation of a hepatitis A outbreak linked to fresh strawberries continues in the United States and Canada. In the U.S. 18 confirmed patients have been identified with 13 of them having been hospitalized.

An investigation of Salmonella infections linked to Jif peanut butter continues with the patient count standing at 16 with two hospitalizations.

For information on additional outbreaks, please see the table below. Click here to go to the FDA page with links to details on specific outbreaks.

Additional outbreak information
The table below shows information about outbreak investigations being managed by FDA’s CORE Response Teams. The investigations are in a variety of stages. Some outbreaks have limited information with active investigations ongoing, others may be near completion. The table below has been abbreviated to show only active investigations.

A public health advisory will be issued for investigations that have resulted in specific, actionable steps for consumers to take to protect themselves, according to the FDA. Please direct your attention to those pages for the most up to date information on the investigation and for consumer protection information.

Outbreak and adverse event investigations that do not result in specific, actionable steps for consumers may or may not conclusively identify a source or reveal any contributing factors. Adverse event investigations rely on self-reported data. Although these reports may name a particular product, FDA will only indicate a product category in the table and will not publicly name a specific product until there is sufficient evidence to implicate that product as a cause of illnesses or adverse events. If a cause and/or contributing factors are identified that could inform future prevention, FDA commits to providing a summary of those findings.

To view the FDA page with links to specific information on individual outbreaks, please click here. 

(To sign up for a free subscription to Food Safety News,click here)