--- title: Egg Salmonella Outbreak Sickens 134 in 18 States date: 2026-07-24T17:29:00-07:00 author: Bill Marler canonical_url: "https://marlerclark.com/egg-salmonella-outbreak-sickens-98-in-17-states" section: Litigation Landing Pages --- [Foodborne Illnesses](/foodborne-illnesses) / [Salmonella](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/salmonella) / # Egg Salmonella Outbreak Sickens 134 in 18 States *Updated September 4, 2026. CDC and FDA closed this investigation on September 3, 2026. The final counts below replace the July 24, 2026 figures of 98 illnesses in 17 states that previously appeared on this page.* - • Cases: 134 - • Hospitalizations: 34 - • Deaths: 0 - • States: 18 - • Illness onset dates: November 21, 2025 through August 12, 2026 - • Source: white shell eggs and brown cage-free shell eggs from Midwest Poultry Services, L.P., recalled July 22, 2026 - • Status: investigation closed September 3, 2026 **What the investigation found** CDC and FDA closed this investigation on September 3, 2026. A total of 134 people infected with the outbreak strain of *Salmonella* Enteritidis were reported from 18 states. Thirty-four were hospitalized. No deaths were reported. Of the 54 sick people interviewed about what they ate in the week before they became ill, 46 (85 percent) reported eating shell eggs. Four independent lines of evidence tied these illnesses to one producer. Whole genome sequencing showed the bacteria from the 134 patients were closely related, meaning they likely shared a source. FDA traced where sick people bought or ate eggs and identified Midwest Poultry Services, L.P. as a common source. The company’s own environmental samples from its Texas farms tested positive for *Salmonella*, and sequencing by its third-party laboratory matched the outbreak strain. FDA then inspected the Texas operation and found the outbreak strain in three environmental samples. Sequencing also predicted nonsusceptibility to ciprofloxacin and resistance to nalidixic acid. Most *Salmonella*infections resolve without antibiotics, but CDC cautioned that some illnesses in this outbreak may not have responded to commonly prescribed drugs. **Where people got sick** **State of residence** **Cases** Texas 99 Louisiana 8 Arkansas 5 Arizona 4 New Mexico 3 Georgia 2 Oklahoma 2 California, Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia (one case each) 11 **Total** **134** Case counts by state of residence, from CDC’s final update of September 3, 2026. The column sums to 134: 99 + 8 + 5 + 4 + 3 + 2 + 2 + 11. CDC counts a case where the person lives, not where the person ate. A Michigan resident who ate eggs at a Texas restaurant in June counts as a Michigan case. The list also undercounts every state where recalled eggs arrived and nobody was tested. **Why 18 states when the eggs were confirmed in six** FDA confirmed distribution of the recalled eggs to Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, New Mexico and Mississippi, and cautioned that product could have reached additional states. Bulk eggs sold to foodservice in fifteen- and thirty-dozen cases are routinely resold through secondary distributors and repacked under other labels, a trail far harder to follow than a branded retail carton. Travel accounts for more of it. And FDA’s July 24 update noted that this producer did not account for all of the illnesses. The core of the outbreak is not in doubt: 99 of the 134 cases were in Texas, and 118 were in the six confirmed distribution states. **The timeline** The first illness began on November 21, 2025, the week before Thanksgiving. PulseNet, CDC’s national database of bacterial DNA fingerprints, identified the cluster in April 2026. The recall did not come until July 22, and it came because the company’s own environmental testing and third-party sequencing turned up the outbreak strain, not because regulators had traced illnesses back to a farm. Ninety-nine people got sick between April 1 and July 21, the day before the recall. That is nearly three quarters of the outbreak. Eight more people fell ill on or after the recall date, the last on August 12, which is what happens when recalled eggs are already sitting in refrigerators. **What was recalled** On July 22, 2026, Midwest Poultry Services, L.P. [recalled](https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/midwest-poultry-services-lp-recalls-shell-eggs-due-possible-salmonella-enteritidis-contamination) 1,589,577 dozen white shell eggs and brown cage-free shell eggs, roughly 19 million eggs, produced and distributed from its Texas farms between June 6 and July 3, 2026, with sell-by or best-by dates from July 20 through August 17, 2026. Recalled cartons carry plant code P-1950 or 0840962 and a Julian date between 157 and 184, printed in date-coding ink on the side of the carton. Retail brands included Kroger, Simple Truth Cage Free, Brookshire’s, Country Morning and Sunups, along with Grade A and Grade AA bulk eggs sold to foodservice. FDA later reclassified the recall as Class I, its most serious category. The complete product table with UPCs is on FDA’s recall page. ***Salmonella* Enteritidis in eggs** *Salmonella* Enteritidis can infect a hen’s ovaries and be deposited inside an intact egg before the shell forms. The egg looks clean, and washing the shell does nothing. FDA’s Egg Safety Rule, in effect since 2010, requires large producers to test their henhouse environments for SE and, when a house tests positive, to test eggs and divert them to pasteurization. Environmental monitoring did eventually find this problem. The open question is what the testing history at those two Texas farms looked like between November and July, and whether earlier positives were acted on. **If you were sickened, preserve the evidence** Ask your laboratory or your health department to preserve your isolate. Whole genome sequencing is what connects one person’s illness to an outbreak strain, and isolates are routinely discarded. Keep the carton, the receipt or a photograph of either, along with shopper-card records, discharge papers and laboratory reports. Lasting problems such as [reactive arthritis](https://about-reactive-arthritis.com/) and post-infectious [irritable bowel syndrome](https://about-irritablebowelsyndrome.com/) can appear weeks later. **Do you have a claim?** A producer that sells contaminated eggs is responsible for the harm they cause. A laboratory-confirmed match to the outbreak strain, together with a documented egg exposure, is the foundation of a claim. Limitation periods vary from state to state and some of them are short, so do not wait to find out where you stand. [Marler Clark, The Food Safety Law Firm](https://marlerclark.com/), is the nation’s leading firm representing victims of [*Salmonella*](https://about-salmonella.com/) outbreaks. Our [*Salmonella* lawyers](https://marlerclark.com/food-litigation/salmonella-outbreak-litigation) have represented thousands of victims in the only U.S. law practice devoted exclusively to foodborne illness, and have recovered more than $850 million for victims and families nationwide. Call 1-800-884-9840 or [contact us](https://marlerclark.com/contact) for a free case evaluation. **Frequently asked questions** **Is this outbreak over?** Yes. CDC and FDA closed the investigation on September 3, 2026. The final count was 134 illnesses in 18 states, with 34 hospitalizations and no deaths. Closing an investigation does not close anyone’s legal claim. **Are the recalled eggs still in stores?** No. The recalled eggs carried sell-by or best-by dates of July 20 through August 17, 2026 and should no longer be available for sale. If you still have eggs with plant code P-1950 or 0840962 and a Julian date between 157 and 184 printed on the side of the carton, throw them out and clean any surfaces or containers they touched. **How did investigators know the eggs came from Midwest Poultry Services?** Sequencing showed the bacteria from all 134 patients were closely related. Interviews found that 46 of 54 people had eaten shell eggs in the week before they got sick. FDA’s traceback identified Midwest Poultry Services as a common source. The company’s own farm samples matched the outbreak strain, and FDA’s inspection of the Texas operation found the strain in three environmental samples. **Why did it take from November 2025 to July 2026 to recall the eggs?** A single illness is not an outbreak. PulseNet did not identify the cluster until April 2026, and traceback takes time from there: investigators interview patients, collect receipts and shopper-card data, and follow eggs back through retailers and distributors to a farm. The recall came on July 22, one day after the company shared its own positive test results with FDA. **Can a *Salmonella* infection cause long-term problems?** Yes. Some people develop reactive arthritis, which is joint pain and swelling that can persist for months, or irritable bowel syndrome after the initial illness resolves. Children under five, adults over 65 and people with weakened immune systems are the most likely to be hospitalized or to suffer severe, invasive infection. **I ate the recalled eggs and got sick. What should I do?** See a health care provider and ask for a stool culture, because a culture-confirmed result is what links you to the outbreak. Keep any carton, receipt or shopper-card record, and if you were hospitalized, keep your discharge papers and laboratory reports. **Can I bring a claim if I was part of this outbreak?** Yes. A lab-confirmed match to the outbreak strain plus a documented egg exposure is the foundation of a claim against those in the chain of distribution. Marler Clark has represented *Salmonella* victims across the country, including in outbreaks linked to eggs. 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