Multistate Outbreak
of Salmonella Virchow Infections
Linked to Garden of Life RAW Meal Organic Shake & Meal Products
Posted
February 19, 2016 10:45 AM ET
What's New?
Seven more ill people have been reported
from seven states. The most recent illness started on February 3, 2016.
Six states have been added to the list of
states with ill people: Florida, Massachusetts, Maryland, North Carolina, Rhode
Island, and Texas.
·
The Utah Public Health Laboratory and the Oklahoma Public Health
Laboratory isolated the outbreak strain of Salmonella
Virchow from open containers of Garden of Life RAW Meal collected from ill
people's homes in Utah and Oklahoma.
Highlights
·
Read the Recall & Advice to Consumers and
Retailers(http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/virchow-02-16/advice.html)>>
·
CDC, multiple states, and the U.S. Food
and Drug Administration (FDA) are investigating a multistate
outbreak of Salmonella Virchow infections.
·
Eighteen people infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Virchow
have been reported from 15 states.
o Four
ill people have been hospitalized, and no deaths have been reported.
·
Epidemiologic and laboratory evidence indicates that RAW Meal
Organic Shake & Meal products made by Garden of Life, LLC are the likely
source of this outbreak.
o Of
the 14 ill people who were interviewed, 14 (100%) reported consuming powdered
supplements or meal replacement powders in the week before illness onset, and
all 14 (100%) specifically reported consuming Garden of Life RAW Meal products.
o The
Utah Public Health Laboratory and Oklahoma Public Health Laboratory isolated
the outbreak strain of Salmonella Virchow from open containers
of Garden of Life RAW Meal collected from ill people's homes in Utah and
Oklahoma.
o FDA
sampling confirmed the presence of the outbreak strain of Salmonella
Virchow in Organic Moringa Leaf powder used in RAW Meal Organic Shake &
Meal Replacement products.
·
As a result of this investigation, Garden of Life, LLC
voluntarily recalled several lots of RAW Meal Organic Shake & Meal
products, available in chocolate, original, vanilla, and vanilla chai, on January
29, 2016 (initial recall) and February 12, 2016
(expanded recall).
·
Consumers should not eat and retailers should not sell the
recalled RAW Meal products.
o These
products have a long shelf life and may still be in people's homes.
o A
complete list of the recalled Garden of Life RAW Meal products is available on
the Recall & Advice to Consumers and Retailers
page(http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/virchow-02-16/advice.html).
o The
recalled products were available for purchase nationwide in many retail stores
and online.
·
Updates will be posted when more information is available.
February 19, 2016
Case Count Update
Since
the last update on February 2, 2015, seven more ill people have been reported
from seven states.
As of
February 17, 2016, 18 people infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Virchow
have been reported from 15 states. The number of ill people identified in each
state is as follows: Florida (1), Massachusetts (1), Maryland (1), Minnesota
(2), New Jersey (2), New Mexico (1), North Carolina (1), Ohio (1), Oklahoma
(1), Oregon (1), Rhode Island (1), Tennessee (1), Texas (1), Utah (2), and
Wisconsin (1).
Among
people for whom information is available, illnesses started on dates ranging
from December 5, 2015 to February 3, 2016. Ill people range in age from 1 year
to 76, with a median age of 34. Fifty-six percent of ill people are male. Among
12 ill people with available information, four (33%) reported being
hospitalized, and no deaths have been reported.
Illnesses
that occurred after January 24, 2016 might not be reported yet. This takes an
average of 2 to 4 weeks. Please see the Timeline for Reporting Cases of Salmonella Infection(http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/reporting-timeline.html)
for more details. The recalled products have a long shelf life and may still be
in people's homes, and illnesses may continue to be reported.
Investigation Update
In
ongoing interviews, ill people answered questions about foods eaten and other
exposures in the week before they became ill. Of the 14 ill people who have
been interviewed, 14 (100%) reported consuming powdered supplements or meal
replacement powders in the week before illness onset; all 14 (100%)
specifically reported consuming Garden of Life RAW Meal products.
The
Utah Public Health Laboratory and Oklahoma Public Health Laboratory isolated
the outbreak strain of Salmonella Virchow from open containers
of Garden of Life RAW Meal collected from ill people's homes in Utah and
Oklahoma. Both products that were tested were from lots covered under the
recalls announced by Garden of Life, LLC. FDA sampling confirmed the presence
of the outbreak strain of Salmonella Virchow in Organic Moringa
Leaf powder used in RAW Meal Organic Shake & Meal Replacement products.
On
February 12, 2016, Garden of Life, LLC issued an expanded recall
of its RAW Meal Organic Shake & Meal products available in chocolate,
original, vanilla, and vanilla chai to include these additional lots.
This
investigation is ongoing. CDC will provide updates when more information is
available.
Initial Announcement
February 2, 2016
CDC
is collaborating with public health officials in multiple states and the U.S. Food
and Drug Administration (FDA) to investigate a multistate outbreak
of Salmonella
Virchow infections. Public health investigators are using the PulseNet(http://www.cdc.gov/pulsenet/)
system to identify illnesses that may be part of this outbreak. PulseNet, the
national subtyping network of public health and food regulatory agency
laboratories, is coordinated by CDC. DNA fingerprinting is performed on Salmonella
bacteria isolated from ill people by using a technique called pulsed-field
gel electrophoresis(http://www.cdc.gov/pulsenet/pathogens/pfge.html),
or PFGE. PulseNet manages a national database of these DNA fingerprints to
identify possible outbreaks. One DNA fingerprint (outbreak strain) is included
in this outbreak investigation. The outbreak strain is new to the PulseNet
database.
A
total of 11 people infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Virchow
have been reported from nine states. The number of ill people identified in
each state is as follows: Minnesota (2), New Jersey (2), New Mexico (1), Ohio
(1), Oklahoma (1), Oregon (1), Tennessee (1), Utah (1), and Wisconsin (1).
Illnesses
started on dates ranging from December 5, 2015, to January 21, 2016. Ill people
range in age from 8 years to 76, with a median age of 35. Fifty-five percent of
ill people are male. Among 10 ill people with available information, one
reported being hospitalized, and no deaths have been reported.
This
outbreak can be illustrated with a chart showing the number of people who
became ill each day. This chart is called an epidemic curve or epi curve.
Illnesses that occurred after January 8, 2016, might not yet be reported due to
the time it takes between when a person becomes ill and when the illness is
reported. This takes an average of 2 to 4 weeks. Please see the Timeline for Reporting Cases of Salmonella
Infection(http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/reporting-timeline.html) for
more details. The recalled products have a long shelf life and may still be in
people's homes, and illnesses may continue to be reported.
Investigation of the Outbreak
The
epidemiologic and laboratory evidence available at this time suggest that RAW
Meal Organic Shake & Meal products made by Garden of Life, LLC are a likely
source of this outbreak. This investigation is ongoing.
In
interviews, ill people answered questions about foods eaten and other exposures
in the week before they became ill. Of the 10 ill people who were interviewed,
10 (100%) reported consuming powdered supplements or meal replacements powders
in the week before illness onset; all 10 (100%) specifically reported consuming
RAW Meal products made by Garden of Life, LLC.
On
January 29, 2016, Garden of Life, LLC voluntarily
recalled a limited quantity of its RAW Meal Organic Shake & Meal
products available in chocolate, original, vanilla, and vanilla chai because
they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella Virchow.
The recalled products were available for purchase nationwide in many retail
stores and online.
On
January 31, 2016, the Utah Public Health Laboratory reported it isolated Salmonella from
an open container of Garden of Life RAW Meal collected from an ill person's
home. On February 1, 2016, Oregon health officials also reported Salmonella was
isolated from an open container of Garden of Life RAW Meal collected from an
ill person's home. DNA "fingerprinting" is being conducted for both
samples to determine the PFGE pattern of the Salmonella
isolated from this product. Results will be reported when they become
available.
CDC
and state and local public health partners are continuing laboratory
surveillance through PulseNet to identify additional ill persons and to
interview ill persons about foods they ate before they became ill.
At A Glance
·
Case Count: 18(http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/virchow-02-16/epi.html)
·
Deaths: 0
·
Hospitalizations: 4
Garden of Life RAW Meal Organic Shake & Meal Product
More Information
(http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/virchow-02-16/map.html)
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