Salmonella Egg Outbreak over after nearly 100 Sickened

According to the CDC, public health and regulatory officials in several states, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), epidemiologic, laboratory, and traceback data showed that eggs supplied by Milo’s Poultry Farms were contaminated with Salmonella and made people sick.

As of October 17, 2024, a total of 93 people infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella have been reported from 12 states. Illnesses started on dates ranging from May 23, 2024, to September 13, 2024. Of 87 people with information available, 34 have been hospitalized and no deaths have been reported.

The true number of sick people in this outbreak was likely much higher than the number reported, and the outbreak may not have been limited to the states with known illnesses. This is because many people recover without medical care and are not tested for Salmonella.

State and local public health officials interviewed people about the foods they ate in the week before they got sick. Several sick people reported eating at the same restaurants before getting sick. These illness clusters provided clues about what food item made people sick. If several unrelated sick people ate or shopped at the same location of a restaurant or store within several days of each other, it suggests that the contaminated food item was served or sold there. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services identified three illness clusters at restaurants where eggs were served.

Public health investigators used the PulseNet system to identify illnesses that may be part of this outbreak. CDC PulseNet manages a national database of DNA fingerprints of bacteria that cause foodborne illnesses. DNA fingerprinting is performed on bacteria using a method called whole genome sequencing (WGS). WGS showed that bacteria from sick peoples’ samples are closely related genetically. This suggests that people in this outbreak got sick from the same food.

The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection traced the source of eggs supplied to restaurants where ill people ate before they got sick. Records show that Milo’s Poultry Farms supplied eggs to those restaurants.

FDA conducted an inspection at Milo’s Poultry Farms and collected samples. The outbreak strain of Salmonella was found in the packing facility, the hen egg laying house, and in recalled eggs.

Based on WGS analysis, bacteria from 83 people’s samples and 72 environmental samples are predicted to be nonsusceptible to ciprofloxacin and are related to a strain of Salmonella Enteritidis that has also been isolated from chicken. Most people with Salmonella illness recover without antibiotics. However, if antibiotics are needed, illnesses in this outbreak may be difficult to treat with some commonly recommended antibiotics and may require a different antibiotic choice. More information is available at the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) site.

Milo’s Poultry Farm recalled all eggs supplied by their farm. Recalled eggs are past shelf life and should no longer be available for sale.

Republished with permission from Bill Marler and Marler Clark. Copyright (c) Marler Clark LLP, PS. All rights reserved.