Posted May 10, 2013 01:15 PM ET

May 10, 2013

Case Count Update

CDC is collaborating with public health and agriculture officials in many states and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS) to investigate multiple outbreaks of human Salmonella infections linked to live poultry. This outbreak of human Salmonella Infantis and Salmonella Mbandaka infections is not related to the current outbreak of human Salmonella Typhimurium infections linked to live poultry.

Public health investigators are using the PulseNet system to identify cases of illness that may be part of this outbreak. In PulseNet, the national subtyping network of public health and food regulatory agency laboratories coordinated by CDC, DNA "fingerprints" of Salmonella bacteria are obtained through diagnostic testing with pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, or PFGE, to identify cases of illness that may be part of this outbreak.

As of May 7, 2013, a total of 61 persons infected with the outbreak strains of Salmonella Infantis and Salmonella Mbandaka have been reported from 18 states. The number of ill persons identified in each state is as follows: Alabama (2), Connecticut (3), Illinois (1), Kentucky (2), Massachusetts (3), Minnesota (3), Mississippi (1), Nebraska (1), New Jersey (1), New York (5), North Carolina (5), Ohio (8), Pennsylvania (5), Tennessee (9), Virginia (2), Vermont (1), Wisconsin (2), and West Virginia (7).

Among the persons who reported the date they became ill, illnesses began between and March 8, 2013 and April 22, 2013. Ill persons range in age from less than one year to 88 years, and 48% of ill persons are 10 years of age or younger. Fifty-six percent of ill persons are female. Among 34 ill persons with available information, 12 (35%) have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.

This outbreak can be visually described with a chart showing the number of persons who became ill each day. This chart is called an epidemic curve or epi curve. Illnesses that occurred after April 15, 2013 might not yet be reported due to the time it takes between when a person becomes ill and when the illness is reported. This takes an average of 2 to 3 weeks. Please see the Salmonella Outbreak Investigations: Timeline for Reporting Cases for more details.

Investigation Update

In interviews, ill persons answered questions about contact with animals and foods consumed during the week before becoming ill. Thirty-six (100%) of 36 ill persons interviewed reported contact with live poultry (e.g., chicks, chickens, ducks, ducklings) before becoming ill. Thirty-four (97%) of 35 ill persons with available purchase information reported purchasing live baby poultry from various locations of a single chain of agricultural feed stores in multiple states. Ill persons reported purchasing live poultry for backyard flocks to produce eggs or meat, or to keep as pets.

State health departments have tested samples collected from chicks in ill persons' homes and retail locations. Samples collected by Minnesota, Ohio, and Vermont yielded the outbreak strains of Salmonella Infantis and Salmonella Mbandaka.

Findings of multiple traceback investigations of live baby poultry from homes of ill persons have identified Mt. Healthy Hatchery in Ohio as the source of chicks and ducklings. This hatchery uses multiple source flocks to obtain eggs and chicks, so it is unclear at this time where the contamination originated. This is the same mail-order hatchery that was associated with the 2012 outbreak of Salmonella Infantis, Salmonella Newport, and Salmonella Lille infections. Moreover, the strain of Salmonella Infantis identified in the current outbreak is the same strain seen in the 2012 outbreak. Public health and agriculture officials continue to work with this hatchery and have made recommendations for improvement. The hatchery is a member of the USDA National Poultry Improvement Plan, a program that is intended to eliminate certain strains of Salmonella that cause illness in poultry breeding flocks and hatcheries, but does not certify that these live poultry are free from other strains of Salmonella that may cause human illness.

Contact with live poultry can be a source of human Salmonella infections. Some ill persons in this outbreak reported bringing the live poultry into their homes and kissing or cuddling with the live poultry. These behaviors increase the risk a person’s risk of a Salmonella infection from contact with live poultry. Always wash hands thoroughly with soap and water right after touching live poultry or anything in the area where they live and roam. Adults should supervise hand washing for young children. Additional recommendations are available. These recommendations are important and apply to all live poultry regardless of the age of the birds or where they were purchased.

Mail-order hatcheries, agricultural feed stores, and others who sell or display chicks, ducklings and other live poultry should provide health-related information to owners and potential purchasers of these birds prior to the point of purchase. This should include information about the risk of acquiring a Salmonella infection from contact with live poultry.

April 25, 2013

CDC is collaborating with public health and agriculture officials in many states and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS) to investigate multistate outbreaks of human Salmonella Infantis, Salmonella Mbandaka, and Salmonella Typhimurium infections linked to contact with chicks, ducklings, and other live poultry.

Public health investigators are using the PulseNet system to identify cases of illness that may be part of these outbreaks. In PulseNet, the national subtyping network of public health and food regulatory agency laboratories coordinated by CDC, DNA "fingerprints" of Salmonella bacteria are obtained through diagnostic testing with pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, or PFGE, to identify cases of illness that may be part of this outbreak. The USDA National Poultry Improvement Plan is a program that is intended to eliminate certain strains of Salmonella that cause illness in poultry breeding flocks and hatcheries, but does not certify that these live poultry are free from other strains of Salmonella that may cause human illness.

In interviews, ill people reported purchasing live baby poultry (e.g., chicks, ducklings) from multiple feed stores and mail-order hatcheries. Investigations are ongoing to determine the source of the live poultry in these outbreaks.

Contact with live poultry, including baby or adult birds, can be a source of human Salmonella infections. These birds typically appear healthy and clean, but can be shedding germs that can make people sick. Always wash hands thoroughly with soap and water right after touching live poultry or anything in the area where they live and roam. Adults should supervise hand washing for young children. Additional recommendations are available. These recommendations are important and apply to all live poultry regardless of the age of the birds or where they were purchased.

Mail-order hatcheries, agricultural feed stores, and others who sell or display chicks, ducklings and other live poultry should provide health-related information to owners and potential purchasers of these birds prior to the point of purchase.This should include information about the risk of acquiring Salmonella infection from contact with live poultry.

This investigation is ongoing and CDC will update the public when additional information is available.

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