Published Date: 2009-01-28 23:57:44
Subject: PRO/EDR> Salmonellosis, serotype Typhimurium - USA (09): peanut butter
Archive Number: 20090128.0396
SALMONELLOSIS, SEROTYPE TYPHIMURIUM - USA (09): PEANUT BUTTER NEW RECALL
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****[This is a repeat of Salmonellosis, serotype Typhimurium - USA
(09): peanut butter new recall, which did not get posted on the
website because the Subject line was too long. - Mos.JW]****
In this update:
[1] CDC: Updated statistics
[2] FDA/CDC: PCA plant report
[3] FDA: New recall
******
[1] CDC: Updated statistics
Date: Mon 26 Jan 2009
Source: US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) [edited]
<http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/typhimurium/>
As of 9 pm EDT, Sun 25 Jan 2009, 501 persons infected with the
outbreak strain of _Salmonella_ Typhimurium have been reported from
43 states. The number of ill persons identified in each state is as
follows: Alabama (1), Arizona (11), Arkansas (4), California (62),
Colorado (12), Connecticut (9), Georgia (6), Hawaii (3), Idaho (11),
Illinois (6), Indiana (4), Iowa (3), Kansas (2), Kentucky (3), Maine
(4), Maryland (8), Massachusetts (42), Michigan (25), Minnesota (35),
Missouri (9), Mississippi (3), Nebraska (1), New Hampshire (11), New
Jersey (23), New York (19), Nevada (5), North Carolina (6), North
Dakota (10), Ohio (67), Oklahoma (2), Oregon (10), Pennsylvania (14),
Rhode Island (4), South Dakota (2), Tennessee (9), Texas (6), Utah
(5), Vermont (4), Virginia (20), Washington (13), West Virginia (2),
Wisconsin (3), and Wyoming (2).
Additionally, an ill person was reported from Canada.
Among the persons with confirmed, reported dates available, illnesses
began between 1 Sep 2008 and 9 Jan 2009. Patients range in age from
less than 1 to 98 years; 47 percent are female. Among persons with
available information, 22 percent reported being hospitalized.
Infection may have contributed to 8 deaths.
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[A map of the USA with affected states and an outbreak curve can be
found at the original URL. - Mod.LL]
******
[2] FDA/CDC: PCA plant report
Date: Tue 27 Jan 2009
Source: The Washington Post [edited]
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/27/AR2009012702992.html>
The Georgia peanut plant linked to a salmonella outbreak that has
killed 8 people and sickened another 500 across the country knowingly
shipped out contaminated peanut butter 12 times in the past 2 years,
federal officials said yesterday [26 Jan 2009].
Officials at the FDA (US Food and Drug Administration) and the CDC
(US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), which have been
investigating the outbreak, said that the Peanut Corporation of
America (PCA) found _Salmonella_ in internal tests a dozen times in
2007 and 2008 but sold the products anyway, sometimes after getting a
negative finding from a different laboratory. Companies are not
required to disclose their internal tests to either the FDA or state
regulators, so health officials did not know of the problem.
The peanut butter and paste made at the company's Blakely, Georgia,
plant are not sold directly to stores but are used by manufacturers
to make crackers, cookies, energy bars, cereal, ice cream, candies,
and even dog biscuits. Some of the country's biggest food makers,
including Kellogg and McKee Foods, which produces Little Debbie brand
snacks, have recalled more than 100 products made with the tainted
ingredients, and the list keeps growing.
Federal investigators also said yesterday [26 Jan 2009] that they had
found 4 strains of _Salmonella_ at the Georgia plant, including one in
a sample taken from the floor near a washroom. One strain, _S._
Typhimurium, has been linked to the outbreak.
"There is a salmonella problem at the plant," said Robert Tauxe,
deputy director of the CDC's division of food-borne, bacterial, and
mycotic diseases. The outbreak, which has spread to 43 states and
Canada, is ongoing, but the pace has slowed "modestly," Tauxe said.
Half the people made ill have been children.
Though Peanut Corporation of America, based in Lynchburg, Virginia,
was not required to inform regulators about its internal tests,
Stephen Sundlof, director of the FDA's Center for Food Safety and
Applied Nutrition, said it appears that the company violated federal
law. "Foods are supposed to be produced under conditions that do not
render them damaging to health," he said. Sundlof said he could not
say whether the company might face criminal charges.
FDA officials said they still do not know the how the plant was
contaminated and how the bacteria got into the peanut products,
although state inspection records show a pattern of unsanitary
conditions over several years. In each case, inspectors flagged the
problems but said they required routine follow-up. There is no
evidence that Peanut Corporation of America was ever closed by the
state or otherwise penalized.
[Byline: Lyndsey Layton]
--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail Rapporteur Brent Barrett
[Unlike the 2007 peanut butter outbreak, it seems clear that issues
relating to _Salmonella_ at this plant have been under the surface
for several years. These issues reflect poorly on both the plant
management and the state inspectors. - Mod.LL]
******
[3] FDA: New recall
Date: 25-27 Jan 2009
Source: US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) [edited]
SOPAKCO, Inc. Announces a Nationwide Recall of Certain SURE-PAK 12
Meals Containing Peanut Butter Products
<http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/sopakco01_09.html>
ALDI Statement Regarding Peanut Butter Products Recall
<http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/aldi01_09.html>
Creative Energy Foods, Inc. Recalls Nutrition Bars Due To Possible Health Risk
<http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/creativeenergy01_09.html>
Carolina Prime Pet Announces Nationwide Recall of Dog Treats
<http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/carolinaprimepet01_09.html>
--
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See Also
Salmonellosis, serotype Typhimurium - USA (08): peanut butter 20090126.0344Salmonellosis, serotype Typhimurium - USA (07): peanut butter 20090122.0278
Salmonellosis, serotype Typhimurium - USA (06): peanut butter 20090120.0246
Salmonellosis, serotype Typhimurium - USA (05): peanut butter 20090118.0227
Salmonellosis, serotype Typhimurium - USA: RFI 20090108.0077
2007
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Salmonellosis, serotype Tennessee, peanut butter - USA (17) 20070603.1796
Salmonellosis, serotype Tennessee, peanut butter - USA (multistate)
20070215.0563
........................................ll/mj/jw
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