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Volume 27, Number 10—October 2021
Synopsis

Novel Outbreak-Associated Food Vehicles, United States

Hilary K. WhithamComments to Author , Preethi Sundararaman, Daniel Dewey-Mattia, Karunya Manikonda, Katherine E. Marshall, Patricia M. Griffin, Brigette L. Gleason, Sanjana Subramhanya, and Samuel J. Crowe
Author affiliations: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA (H.K. Whitham, P. Sundararaman, D. Dewey-Mattia, K. Manikonda, K.E. Marshall, P.M Griffin, B.L. Gleason, S. Subramhanya, S.J. Crowe); Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA (S. Subramhanya)

Main Article

Table 1

Novel food vehicles implicated in outbreaks that occurred during 2007–2016, United States*

Food Category State (no. states) Year of first illness Etiology No. illnesses No. hosp. No. deaths Recall Imported
Almaco jack Fish Florida 2014 Ciguatoxin 2 0 0 No Yes
Apple†
Fruit
Multistate (12)
2014
Listeria monocytogenes
35
34
7
Yes
No
Bison Meat Tennessee 2008 STEC O157:H7 12 2 0 No No


Multistate (5)
2010
STEC O157:H7
10
NR
NR
Yes
No
Blueberries Fruit Multistate (6) 2009 Salmonella enterica serovar Muenchen 14 NR 0 No No


Minnesota
2010
Salmonella Newport
6
1
0
No
No
Carp Fish New York 2012 Other chemical or toxin, Haff disease‡ 2 2 1 No No
Cashews§ Nut/seed Multistate (6) 2014 Salmonella Stanley 18 4 0 No Yes
Chia seed¶ Nut/seed Multistate (19) 2014 Salmonella, multiple serotypes# 45 7 0 Yes Yes
Flour (wheat) Grain Multistate (24) 2015 STEC, multiple serogroups** 56 16 0 Yes No
Frog†† Meat Arizona 2015 Salmonella Javiana 5 1 0 No No
Goose‡‡
Meat
New York
2013
Campylobacter jejuni
57
1
0
No
No
Hazelnuts Nut/seed Multistate (3) 2010 STEC O157:H7 8 3 0 Yes No


Multistate (2)
2016
Salmonella Typhimurium
6
1
0
Yes
No
Kale Vegetable Florida 2013 STEC O157:H7 7 5 0 No No


Wisconsin
2014
Cryptosporidium parvum
8
0
0
No
No
Lima beans Vegetable Florida 2009 Unknown 13 0 0 No No
Lionfish Fish South Carolina 2013 Ciguatoxin 4 1 0 NR NR
Mini peppers Vegetable Multistate (10) 2014 Salmonella Paratyphi B 21 5 0 No Yes
Monchong Fish Hawaii 2013 Scombroid toxin 2 0 0 No No
Moringa leaf¶
Herb/spice
Multistate (24)
2015
Salmonella Virchow
35
6
0
Yes
Yes
Papaya Fruit Multistate (25) 2011 Salmonella Agona 106 10 0 Yes Yes


Multistate (4)
2013
Salmonella Thompson
13
6
1
No
No
Pepper¶ Herb/spice Multistate (4) 2008 Salmonella Rissen 87 NR NR Yes No


Multistate (45)
2009
Salmonella Montevideo
272
52
0
Yes
Yes
Pine nuts
Nut/seed
Multistate (6)
2011
Salmonella Enteritidis
53
2
0
Yes
Yes
Pistachios Nut/seed Multistate (21) 2008 Salmonella, multiple serovars§§ 83 NR 0 Yes No
Multistate (6) 2013 Salmonella Senftenberg 8 1 0 Yes No


Multistate (9)
2016
Salmonella, multiple serovars¶¶
11
2
0
Yes
No
Pomegranate Fruit Multistate (10) 2013 Hepatitis A virus 157 70 0 No Yes
Sheep milk## Dairy Multistate (14) 2012 Listeria monocytogenes 23 21 5 Yes Yes
Skate Fish New York 2008 Scombroid toxin 3 0 0 No No
Sprouted nut butter*** Nut/seed Multistate (10) 2015 Salmonella Paratyphi B variant L(+) tartrate (+) 13 0 0 Yes No
Sugar cane Sugar Multistate (3) 2013 Salmonella Virchow 7 1 0 No Yes
Swai Fish New York 2014 Unknown 3 1 0 No Yes
Tempeh††† Grain North Carolina 2012 Salmonella Paratyphi B var. L(+) tartrate (+) 89 8 0 Yes No

*Data from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Foodborne Disease Outbreak Surveillance System (FDOSS), 1973–2016. Five of the 6 outbreaks linked to fish were caused by naturally occurring toxins that cannot be destroyed through cooking or freezing. Hosp., hospitalization; NR, not reported; STEC, Shiga toxin–producing Escherichia coli. †Apples were the contaminated ingredient in an outbreak associated with caramel apples. Prior apple cider outbreaks have been reported to FDOSS with no specific ingredient identified. ‡Haff disease is a syndrome of unexplained rhabdomyolysis caused by consumption of an unidentified toxin (rhabdomyolysis is a clinical syndrome caused by injury to skeletal muscle that results in the release of muscle cell contents into the circulation). §Cashews were processed into raw cashew cheese. ¶Product was processed and sold as a ground powder. #Salmonella Gaminara, Harford, Oranienburg, and Newport **STEC O26:NM and O121 ††Frog legs were from a noncommercial source. ‡‡Goose liver was the implicated ingredient of foie gras. Prior foie gras outbreaks have been reported to FDOSS with either no specific ingredient identified or a different implicated ingredient. §§Salmonella Montevideo, Newport, and Senftenberg. ¶¶Salmonella Senftenberg and Montevideo. ##Pasteurized sheep milk, the only dairy food vehicle identified, was used in making ricotta salata cheese, which was later contaminated. ***Multiple nut butters from 1 company were implicated (cashew, almond, and hazelnut). †††Tempeh was unpasteurized.

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Page created: September 08, 2021
Page updated: October 26, 2021
Page reviewed: October 26, 2021
The conclusions, findings, and opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the authors' affiliated institutions. Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by any of the groups named above.
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