Outbreak of salmonella heidelberg infections linked to a single poultry producer - 13 States, 2012-2013

12.07.2013

MMWR, 2013 Jul 12;62(27):553-6

In June 2012, the Oregon Health Authority and the Washington State Department of Health noted an increase in the number of Salmonella enterica serotype Heidelberg clinical isolates sharing an identical pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) pattern. In 2004, this pattern had been linked to chicken from Foster Farms by the Washington State Department of Health; preliminary 2012 interviews with infected persons also indicated exposure to Foster Farms chicken. On August 2, 2012, CDC's PulseNet* detected a cluster of 19 Salmonella Heidelberg clinical isolates matching the outbreak pattern. At least 134 people in 13 states fell ill with Salmonella Heidelberg, including 33 patients who were hospitalized, in an outbreak connected to Foster Farms chicken between June 2012 and April 2013.

See also: Multistate Outbreak of Salmonella Heidelberg Infections Linked to Chicken