By Naveen Athrappully
Contributing Writer
An outbreak of salmonella bacteria has infected 64 people across 22 states, with affected individuals reporting they consumed raw oysters, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a Dec. 23 report.
Illnesses began being reported from June 21 through Nov. 28, the CDC said.
“Of 44 people with information available, 20 have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported,” the agency said.
“The true number of sick people in this outbreak is likely much higher than the number reported, and the outbreak may not be limited to the states with known illnesses. This is because many people recover without medical care and are not tested for salmonella. In addition, recent illnesses may not yet be reported as it usually takes three to four weeks to determine if a sick person is part of an outbreak.”
Local and state public health officials are interviewing infected people about the foods they have consumed in the week prior to getting sick, according to the CDC. Out of the 27 interviewed individuals, 20 reported they had eaten oysters.
“This percentage was significantly higher than the 1.6% of respondents who reported eating raw oysters in the FoodNet Population Survey — a survey that helps estimate how often people eat various foods linked to diarrheal illness. This difference suggests that people in this outbreak got sick from eating raw oysters.”
The CDC said it was working with the Food and Drug Administration to determine whether a common source of oysters responsible for the outbreak could be identified. It warned that raw oysters can be contaminated at any time of the year.
Out of the 41 cases analyzed, the majority of infected individuals were white people. Out of 64 analyzed cases, the majority, 65%, were male, CDC said.
The most affected state is Pennsylvania, which reported 10 cases of infections among its residents, according to CDC data.
This was followed by New York with seven cases, New Jersey and Virginia each had six cases, and Georgia had four. Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Massachusetts, and South Carolina had three reports each. California, Connecticut, Delaware, and Texas had two cases each, with the remaining states reporting one incident each.
In November, there were usually only one or two infections registered per day, according to the agency.
In its Dec. 23 report, CDC said investigators have conducted whole genome sequencing on samples collected from infected individuals.
“WGS showed that bacteria from sick people’s samples are closely related genetically. This suggests that people in this outbreak may have gotten sick from the same food,” the agency said.
“Based on WGS analysis, bacteria from 59 people’s samples did not predict resistance to any antibiotics.”
In another Dec. 23 report, the CDC advised people to cook oysters before eating to reduce the risk of food poisoning.
People with salmonella may suffer from symptoms such as bloody diarrhea, signs of dehydration, diarrhea for over three days without any improvement, too much vomiting, or diarrhea together with a fever higher than 102 degrees Fahrenheit.
“Symptoms usually start six hours to six days after swallowing the bacteria,” the CDC said. “Most people recover without treatment after four to seven days.”
“Some people — especially children younger than 5, adults 65 and older, and people with weakened immune systems — may experience more severe illnesses that require medical treatment or hospitalization.”
Multiple food products have been recalled over the past months due to various cases of Salmonella contamination.
On Nov. 13, New York-based Food to Live said it was recalling organic moringa products, citing contamination with salmonella bacteria. The items were distributed through multiple sales channels, including online platforms such as Amazon and Walmart.
In October, the FDA announced the recall of more than 6 million eggs from at least six states due to salmonella contamination. The agency designated it as a Class I recall, which is the most severe recall designation that suggests potential risk of serious injury or death.
