U.S. health agencies are investigating a foodborne outbreak involving several strains of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli and Salmonella Agona that has sickened 55 people in 15 states. The Food and Drug Administration said on August 21 that alfalfa sprouts grown by Minneapolis-based Everything Sprouts and sold under the Calco and Everything Sprouts brands have been identified as a source of illnesses. Four people have been hospitalized and no deaths have been reported.
The FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised consumers, restaurants and retailers not to eat, serve or sell the affected sprouts. People should check refrigerators and freezers and either discard the products or return them to the place of purchase, the agencies said. Surfaces and containers that touched the sprouts should be cleaned and sanitized to prevent cross-contamination. The FDA said it was working with the grower and had recommended a recall, while the investigation remained active.
Confirmed cases are in Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Washington and Wisconsin. The FDA listed the latest known illness onset as August 8. Of 34 patients interviewed by investigators, 26 reported eating alfalfa sprouts, according to the Associated Press, while traceback work at restaurants in Minnesota and Wisconsin pointed to sprouts distributed by the company.
The outbreak is unusual because it includes Salmonella Agona and three Shiga toxin-producing E. coli serotypes: O26:H11, O103:H25 and O168:H8. The AP reported that two patients were infected with both Salmonella and E. coli. Investigators are still trying to determine how the contamination occurred and whether other products or businesses are connected, so the case count and distribution information may change as surveillance continues.
The FDA says E. coli symptoms can begin within a few days or as late as nine days after contaminated food is eaten and may include severe stomach cramps, diarrhea, fever, nausea and vomiting. Some infections can cause bloody diarrhea and hemolytic uremic syndrome, a potentially life-threatening form of kidney failure. Salmonella illness commonly begins within 12 to 72 hours and usually lasts four to seven days; young children, older adults and people with weakened immune systems face a higher risk of severe infection.
Anyone who ate either brand of alfalfa sprouts and develops compatible symptoms should contact a health care provider immediately, the FDA said. Officials also urged retailers that repackaged the sprouts to remove them from sale. Federal, state and local teams are continuing epidemiological and traceback work to establish the full scope and origin of an outbreak that has already reached a broad part of the United States.
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