Multistate Outbreak of Human Salmonella Infections Linked to Live Poultry in Backyard Flocks

Posted August 8, 2014 10:15 AM ET

At a Glance:

Case Count: 300
States: 42
Deaths: 0
Hospitalizations: 31%

More Information:

Latest Case Count Map

Persons infected with the outbreak strains of Salmonella Infantis or Newport, by state

Click map to view updated & previous case count maps.

Latest Epi Curve

Persons infected with the outbreak strains of Salmonella Infantis or Newport, by date of illness onset

Click graph to view updated & previous epi curve graphs.

Highlights

Read the Advice to Consumers »
As of August 5, 2014, a total of 300 persons infected with the outbreak strains of Salmonella Infantis,Salmonella Newport, or Salmonella Hadar have been reported from 42 states and Puerto Rico.
- 31% of ill persons have been hospitalized, and no deaths have been reported.
Epidemiologic, laboratory, and traceback findings have linked this outbreak of human Salmonellainfections to contact with chicks, ducklings, and other live poultry from Mt. Healthy Hatcheries in Ohio.
- 80% of ill people reported contact with live poultry in the week before their illness began.
Findings of multiple traceback investigations of live baby poultry from homes of ill persons have identified Mt. Healthy Hatcheries in Ohio as the source of chicks and ducklings. This is the same mail-order hatchery that has been associated with multiple outbreaks of Salmonella infections linked to live poultry in past years, including in 2012 and2013.
CDC’s National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) laboratory conducted antibiotic resistance testing on Salmonella isolates collected from 11 ill persons infected with the outbreak strains of Salmonella Infantis or Newport. Of the 11 isolates tested:
- Two (18%) were drug resistant (defined as resistance to one or more antibiotics).
- Nine (82%) were pansusceptible (susceptible to all antibiotics tested).
Mail-order hatcheries, agricultural feed stores, and others that sell or display chicks, ducklings, and other live poultry should provide health-related information to owners and potential purchasers of these birds prior to selling them. This should include information about the risk of acquiring a Salmonellainfection from contact with live poultry.
- Read the advice to mail-order hatcheries and feed stores and others that sell or display live poultry.
Consumers who own live poultry should take steps to protect themselves:
- Always wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water right after touching live poultry or anything in the area where these birds live and roam.
- Do not let live poultry inside the house.
- Learn about additional recommendations to protect yourself and your family from Salmonellainfections. These recommendations are important and apply to all live poultry, regardless of the age of the birds or where they were purchased.

August 8, 2014 expanded

Case Count Update

As of August 5, 2014, a total of 300 persons infected with the outbreak strains ofSalmonella Infantis, Salmonella Newport, or Salmonella Hadar have been reported from 42 states and Puerto Rico. Since the last update on June 27, 2014, a total of 49 new ill persons have been reported from Alabama (2), Arizona (1), Colorado (1), Georgia (3), Idaho (2), Iowa (1), Massachusetts (1), Minnesota (1), Missouri (1), Nebraska (3), New Hampshire (1), New Jersey (1), New York (3), North Carolina (1), Ohio (3), Oregon (1), Pennsylvania (4), Puerto Rico (1), South Carolina (1), Tennessee (3), Vermont (1), Virginia (8), Washington (1), and West Virginia (4).

Among persons who reported the date they became ill, illnesses began between February 3, 2014, and July 10, 2014. Ill persons range in age from younger than 1 year to 95 years, and the median age is 28 years. Thirty-seven percent of ill persons are 10 years of age or younger. Fifty-four percent of ill persons are female. Among 206 ill persons with available information, 64 (31%) have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.

Illnesses that occurred after July 8, 2014, 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 SalmonellaInfection for more details.

Investigation Update

Samples from live poultry and the environments where the poultry live and roam were collected from ill persons’ homes in Vermont and Virginia. Testing of these samples yielded two of the outbreak strains of Salmonella Infantis. These birds were sourced from Mt. Healthy Hatcheries in Ohio.

The National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) is a U.S. public health surveillance system that tracks antibiotic resistance in foodborne and other enteric bacteria found in people, raw meat and poultry, and food-producing animals. NARMS is an interagency partnership among CDC, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and state and local health departments.

The NARMS human surveillance program at CDC monitors antibiotic resistance inSalmonella and other bacteria isolated from clinical specimens submitted to NARMS by public health laboratories. CDC's NARMS laboratory conducted antibiotic resistance testing on a total of 11 isolates collected from ill persons infected with the outbreak strains of Salmonella Infantis (8 isolates) or Newport (3 isolates). Of the 11 isolates tested to date, 2 (18%) were resistant to tetracycline and 9 (82%) were pansusceptible (susceptible to all antibiotics tested). Tetracycline is not typically used to treat Salmonella infections. CDC's NARMS laboratory continues to conduct antibiotic resistance testing on additional clinical isolates collected from ill persons infected with the outbreak strains. Results will be reported when they become available.

The NPIP is a voluntary program that was initiated to eliminate certain diseases from poultry flocks that cause significant poultry illness and death. On August 8, 2014,amendments

to the National Poultry Improvement Plan

(NPIP) will take effect. One of these amendments to the NPIP provisions includes the addition of a new certification program for Salmonella, in which mail-order hatcheries have the opportunity to voluntarily participate. Participation in this program will certify their flocks are monitored for Salmonella organisms that may cause illness in humans. The intent of this program is to reduce the incidence of Salmonella in day-old poultry in the hatchery and give the poultry industry a better opportunity to reduce incidence ofSalmonella in their products. In the future, consumers and retailers can choose to purchase their birds from mail-order hatcheries that participate in this additional program.