Published Date: 2006-11-02 00:00:00
Subject: PRO/AH/EDR> Salmonellosis, boiled peanuts - USA (SC)
Archive Number: 20061102.3135

SALMONELLOSIS, BOILED PEANUTS - USA (SOUTH CAROLINA)
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International Society for Infectious Diseases
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Date: Wed, 1 Nov 2006
From: ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>
Source: Star-News Online [edited]
<promed@promedmail.org>
Source: Star-News Online [edited]
<http://www.starnewsonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=@@2006611012123">promed@promedmail.org>
Source: Star-News Online [edited]
<promed@promedmail.org>
Source: Star-News Online [edited]
<http://www.starnewsonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=@@2006611012123>

Two dozen people sickened with salmonella in the Upstate [the
northwestern end of South Carolina; see maps referenced in comment
below] likely ate bad boiled peanuts from a festival, state health
officials say.
"We never heard of salmonella in boiled peanuts before. It appears to
be an isolated, very unusual event," Department of Health and
Environmental Control spokesman Adam Myrick said.
While the boiling would have killed any of the bacteria on the
peanuts, salmonella could have ended up back on the nuts during
refrigeration, packaging or shipping, Myrick said.
Scientists were able to match the type of salmonella in the affected
people to a bag of boiled peanuts in a patient's refrigerator, Myrick said.
The boiled peanuts were sold at the mid-Oct 2006 Pumpkin Festival in
Pumpkintown in Pickens County, DHEC said.
Myrick refused to name who sold the peanuts, but said DHEC officials
have talked to the seller about how to handle food safely. The vendor
won't be punished, Myrick said.
The 2 dozen people sickened by the peanuts have all recovered, Myrick said.
DHEC said there is no new danger from eating the salty legumes, which
just months ago became South Carolina's official snack.
"There's no reason for anyone to stop eating boiled peanuts," Myrick said.
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ProMED-mail
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[Boiled peanuts
(<http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/BoiledPeanutsHistory.htm>)
are green or raw nuts that are boiled in salty water for hours
outdoors over a fire. The shells turn soggy, and the peanuts take on
a fresh, legume flavor. A green peanut is not green in color, just
freshly harvested. It takes 90-100 days to grow peanuts for boiling,
and they are available only during May through November throughout
the southern states. One of the drawbacks of boiled peanuts is that
they have a very short shelf life unless refrigerated or frozen. If
you leave them out on the kitchen counter for 3 to 4 days, they
become slimy and smelly.
Contamination must have occurred after the peanuts were
boiled. Although not at all a common vehicle for the transmission of
salmonellosis to humans, previous ProMED postings have documented
past incidents. These peanuts were imported in Canada and Australia
from China. The serotype of salmonellosis in this cluster is not stated.
Pickens County is in the northwestern part of South Carolina
<http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/index.html>). The county is
highlighted at:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Map_of_South_Carolina_highlighting_Pickens_County.svg>
ProMED thanks Brent Barrett for submitting a similar news story. - Mod.LL]

See Also

Salmonellosis, serotype Typhimurium - USA (multistate)(02) 20061101.3123
Salmonellosis, serotype Typhimurium - USA (multistate): RFI 20061030.3110
Salmonella Oranienburg, health care - USA: alert, RFI 20060812.2259
Salmonellosis, frozen chicken - USA (MN)(02) 20060724.2039
Salmonellosis, frozen chicken - USA (MN): alert 20060722.2017
Salmonellosis, students - USA (MA)(03): owl pellets 20060714.1939
Salmonellosis, students - USA (MA) 20060621.1713
2002
----
Salmonella, peanuts - Canada: recall 20020609.4450
2001
----
Salmonella, peanuts - Australia & Canada ex China 20011012.2496
Salmonella, peanuts - Canada: recall 20010919.2275
Salmonella Stanley, peanuts - Australia: recall 20010911.2189
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