June 26, 2019

CDC, public health and regulatory officials in several states, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)external icon investigated a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Concord infections.

Public health investigators used the PulseNet system to identify illnesses that may have been part of this outbreak. PulseNet is the national subtyping network of public health and food regulatory agency laboratories coordinated by CDC. DNA fingerprinting is performed on Salmonella bacteria isolated from ill people by using techniques called pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and whole genome sequencing (WGS). CDC PulseNet manages a national database of these DNA fingerprints to identify possible outbreaks. WGS gives a more detailed DNA fingerprint than PFGE. WGS performed on bacteria isolated from ill people showed that they were closely relatedly genetically. This means that people in this outbreak were more likely to share a common source of infection.

As of June 26, 2019, a total of 6 people infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Concord were reported from 3 states. A list of the states and the number of cases in each can be found on the Map of Reported Cases page.

Illnesses started on dates ranging from March 9, 2019 to May 2, 2019. Ill people ranged in age from 8 to 33 years, with a median age of 21. Four of the 6 sick people (67%) were female. One hospitalization and no deaths were reported.

This outbreak was not related to another recent multistate outbreak of Salmonella Concord infections linked to tahini. People in the previous outbreak were infected with a different outbreak strain of Salmonella Concord.

WGS analysis of four clinical isolates and two food isolates did not predict resistance to any antibiotics. Testing of two outbreak isolates using standard antibiotic susceptibility testing by CDC’s National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) laboratory also showed no resistance.

Investigation of the Outbreak

Epidemiologic, traceback, and laboratory evidence indicated that Karawan brand tahini products were the likely source of this outbreak.

In interviews, ill people answered questions about the foods they ate and other exposures in the week before they became ill. Four (80%) of the 5 people interviewed reported eating tahini or hummus made with tahini.

Investigators with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene collected records and food samples at restaurants where ill people ate. Records indicated that the tahini used at these restaurants was Karawan brand tahini. The  outbreak strain was isolated from opened and sealed containers of Karawan brand tahini collected at one of the restaurants.

WGS results showed that the Salmonella strain identified in Karawan brand tahini samples collected at a restaurant was closely related genetically to the Salmonella strain identified in ill people. These results provided more evidence that people in this outbreak got sick from eating Karawan brand tahini.

Brodt Zenatti Holding LLC of Jupiter, Fla., recalledexternal icon Karawan and Soco brand tahini products because they might be contaminated with Salmonella. Restaurants and retailers should not serve or sell recalled Karawan or SoCobrand tahini products or products made with them, such as hummus. Consumers who have any recalled tahini products in their homes should not eat them and throw them away.

As of June 26, 2019, this outbreak appears to be over.