Arby's Restaurant Source of Salmonella Outbreak
In late August to early September of 2006, a surge in Salmonella cases in Lowndes County, Georgia, alerted health officials to a possible Salmonella outbreak. 72 people had contracted Salmonella Montevideo infections. Of these, 19 were hospitalized.
Interviews with patients identified the probable source of the outbreak as an Arby’s restaurant in Valdosta. 19 days after health officials began their investigation of Arby's, a meat slicer at the restaurant was identified as the source of the Salmonella contamination. Because the slicer could be isolated and removed, the Arby's was not closed and the information was not publicized. During this time, the public was not informed of the Salmonella outbreak or that health officials were investigating the Arby’s in Valdosta.
