A rare antibiotic-resistant strain known as salmonella reading is believed to be responsible for the 164 cases of salmonellosis, a third of which required emergency hospitalization due to the severity of the patient’s symptoms. The strain is also responsible for one person’s death in California, CDC said.
According to the agency’s map of reported cases, which was updated Nov. 5 for the first time since July, new cases have been confirmed in Arizona, Connecticut, and Oklahoma. At the time of the previous update, the outbreak had only reached 26 states.
The watchdog group Consumer Reports is urging the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) to identify specific brands of turkeys associated with the outbreak; to date, the agency has remained mum on the subject.
“Most people get sick between 12 and 72 hours after coming into contact with salmonella bacteria,” said Dr. Colin Basler, Epidemic Intelligence Officer at the CDC. “Most people get diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and a fever.”
Salmonellosis, the food poisoning illness resulting from the consumption of salmonella bacteria, typically lasts 4 to 7 days, CDC said. Very young children, the elderly, and individuals with compromised immune systems are the most likely to develop serious infections.
Source: CBS News