Another Salmonella Egg Outbreak over – for now

A total of 105 people infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella were reported from 14 states. Illnesses started on dates ranging from January 7, 2025, to August 14, 2025. Of the 82 people with information available, 19 were hospitalized. No deaths were reported.

The true number of sick people in this outbreak was likely much higher than the number reported, and this 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. Of the 42 people interviewed, 38 (90%) reported eating eggs. This percentage is significantly higher than the 78% of respondents who reported eating eggs in the FoodNet Population Survey—a survey that helps estimate how often people eat various foods linked to diarrheal illness. This difference suggests that people in this outbreak got sick from eating eggs.

State health officials identified illness sub-clusters at four restaurants. An illness sub-cluster is a group of unrelated sick people who all ate at the same location or event, such as a restaurant. Investigating sub-clusters can help identify a food item eaten by all the sick people that could be the source of the outbreak. Eggs were served at the four restaurants with illness sub-clusters.

Public health investigators used the PulseNet system to identify illnesses that may have been 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 people’s samples were closely related genetically. This suggested that people in this outbreak got sick from the same food.

Based on WGS analysis, bacteria from 105 people’s samples had predicted resistance to nalidixic acid and nonsusceptibility to ciprofloxacin (NSC); this NSC strain is related to a strain of Salmonella Enteritidis isolated from chicken, eggs, and backyard poultry

Most people with Salmonella illness recover without antibiotics. However, if antibiotics are needed, Salmonella illness with this predicted resistance may not be treatable 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.

FDA conducted traceback based on where sick people reported shopping or eating eggs and dishes containing eggs during the timeframe of interest. Country Eggs, LLC was identified as a common supplier.

FDA conducted an inspection at Country Eggs, LLC, which included environmental sample collection. Three environmental samples were positive for Salmonella. WGS showed that the samples from the environment were the same as the sick people in this outbreak.

On August 27, 2025, Country Eggs, LLC recalled large brown cage-free “sunshine yolks” or “omega-3 golden yolks” eggs. These eggs had sell-by dates from July 1, 2025, through September 18, 2025, with the code “CA 7695” on the cartons. These eggs are no longer available for sale.

Follow these four steps to prevent getting sick from Salmonella.

            •           Clean: Wash your hands, utensils, and surfaces often. Rinse fruits and vegetables under running water before eating, cutting, or peeling.

            •           Separate: Keep food that won’t be cooked separate from raw meat, poultry, and seafood.

            •           Cook: Use a food thermometer to make sure you have cooked your food to a temperature high enough to kill germs
.

            •           Chill: Refrigerate perishable food (food that goes bad) within 2 hours. If the outside temperature is hotter than 90°F, refrigerate within 1 hour. Thaw food in the refrigerator, not on the counter.

Symptoms of Salmonella

            •           Most people infected with Salmonella experience diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps.

            ◦           Symptoms usually start 6 hours to 6 days after swallowing the bacteria.

            ◦           Most people recover without treatment after 4 to 7 days.

            •           Some people—especially children younger than 5, adults 65 and older, and people with weakened immune systems—may experience more severe illnesses that require medical treatment or hospitalization.

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

Source: https://www.marlerblog.com/case-news/another-salmonella-egg-outbreak-over-for-now/