The year 2015 saw dozens of well-publicized food-borne illness outbreaks, from small, isolated cases involving a handful of illnesses, to major outbreaks covering multiple states, including our neighbors to the north, Canada.
This year’s list will exclude norovirus outbreaks, and will focus on outbreaks associated with grocery products or restaurants. As always, keep in mind that the actual number of people sickened in any food-borne illness outbreak is usually higher than the quoted number because many people fail to report their sickness.
1. Salmonella Poona from Cucumbers, 4 deaths and 838 sickened.
Cucumbers imported from Mexico were behind this outbreak that not only affected multiple states in the U.S. but reached into Canada. Salmonella poona is a serotype of Salmonella enterica. The produce was grown and packed by Rancho Don Juanito in Mexico and distributed by Andrew & Williamson Fresh Produce of California between August 1 and September 3, 2015.
This outbreak affected 838 people in 38 states, and resulted in 165 hospitalizations and four deaths, with most of the illnesses occurring during the summer months of late July and into August. Based on the CDC’s mathematical models, the 838 cases likely means that thousands of people were sickened by this outbreak, making it one of the largest food-borne illness outbreaks in the U.S. in recent years.
2. Cyclospora from Mexican-grown cilantro, 546 sickened
For the third year in a row, Cyclospora-contaminated cilantro grown in Mexico was responsible for a massive food-borne illness outbreak. This year, the outbreak spread to 31 states, while Texas bore the brunt of the illnesses with 179 people getting sick.
The microscopic parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis causes an intestinal illness called Cyclosporiasis. People become infected with Cyclospora after consuming food or water contaminated with the parasite. It is believed the contaminated cilantro came from the Puebla region of Mexico. Most of the illnesses occurred between the end of May and the middle of June.
3. Public Health Agency of Canada investigating Salmonella infantis outbreak
The day before Christmas, PHAC issued an updated notice on a Salmonella infantis outbreak that has infected 98 people in the country since March 2015. When the food-borne illness outbreak started, authorities were unsure of the source of the infections.
It was believed that improper handling of raw poultry products was the probable source, and PHAC was able to track this down as the likely source after a sample of raw chicken taken from the home of one person tested positive for the same strain of Salmonella infantis that had sickened others. The food-borne illness spread to nine provinces.
4. Washington state slaughterhouse linked to multistate Salmonella outbreak
In August this year, the FDA announced a recall of over 116,000 pounds of pork products from Kapowsin Meats of Graham, Washington. What makes this case significant is that the strain of Salmonella I 4,[5],12:i:- turned out to be resistant to multiple antibiotics, and the five DNA fingerprints (outbreak strains) of this particular Salmonella strain were all rare to the Washington state region.
In the Washington state outbreak, illnesses started on dates ranging from April 25, 2015, to August 1, 2015. The ages of people affected by the illness ranged from a one-year-old to age 90, with a median age of 35. Of the 134 illnesses confirmed to date, 16 people were hospitalized and no deaths were reported.
5. E. coli O26 from Chipotle Mexican Grill, specific source unidentified, 52 sickened.
On October 31, Digital Journal reported Chipotle Mexican Grill had closed 43 restaurants in Oregon and Washington state after 22 people became sick after eating at the restaurants. That was just the start of a food-borne illness outbreak that snowballed into a public relations disaster for the fast-casual food chain.
The October outbreak was just one of five food-borne illness outbreaks the restaurant chain had to deal with since July. Food Safety News says the other four outbreaks took place in single states; however, three of them were larger than the multistate outbreak. In total, more than 350 people have been sickened at Chipotle this year.
Let’s look at the five outbreaks linked to Chipotle this year, starting with the July outbreak:
July – Seattle, Washington. Five people became ill after eating at the restaurant, although the source is unknown. The culprit ended up being E. coli O157:H7.
August – Simi Valley, California. A norovirus sickened over 234 people and was linked to the Chipolte restaurant. The actual source of the illness has so far eluded authorities.
August and September in Minnesota. Salmonella Newport was the culprit in this particular outbreak that sickened 64 people. The source of the illness was determined to be the tomatoes served at the restaurants.
October outbreak in nine states. This outbreak sickened over 53 people and resulted in eight hospitalizations. The source of the infection has yet to be found. The culprit was Shiga toxin producing E. coli O26 (STEC O26).
December – Boston, Mass. Another norovirus outbreak sickened over 136 people, mainly students at the local college. But more significant was the meltdown being experienced by the company. The company has seen a sharp decline in its stock, as well as a reduction in 4th quarter earnings per share due to loss of customer confidence.
