Mary Rothschild
September 16, 2011
At least 119 people in 32 states have been stricken with Salmonella Heidelberg infections linked to Cargill ground turkey, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in its latest outbreak update. One person has died.
Cargill recalled nearly 136 million pounds of ground turkey products on August 3 from its Springdale, AR plant. Cargill expanded the recall by another 185,000 pounds on September 11, after tests revealed further contamination with the outbreak strain.
Salmonella Heidelberg is resistant to several commonly prescribed antibiotics; the CDC said this antibiotic resistance may be associated with an increased risk of hospitalization or possible treatment failure in infected individuals.
The number of ill persons identified in each state: Alabama (1), Arkansas (1), Arizona (3), California (6), Colorado (4), Georgia (2), Illinois (15), Indiana (1), Iowa (2), Kansas (2), Kentucky (2), Louisiana (1), Massachusetts (3), Maryland (1), Michigan (12), Minnesota (2), Mississippi (1), Missouri (5), Nebraska (2), Nevada (1), New Jersey (1), New York (2), North Carolina (3), Ohio (11), Oklahoma (2), Oregon (1), Pennsylvania (6), South Dakota (3), Tennessee (2), Texas (16), Utah (1), and Wisconsin (4).