New York Hit Hardest By Pine Nut Salmonella Outbreak
Our law firm is representing a person from New York who was hospitalized after she consumed pine nuts sold at Wegmans. Attorney Ryan Osterholm is our managing attorney for these cases. He can be reached at 1-888-377-8900 (toll free) or by submitting our free consultation form.
Almost two thirds of the people sickened by the pine nut Salmonella outbreak are from New York. Of the 42 people who contracted salmonellosis from Turkish pine nuts sold in bulk bins at Wegmans grocery stores, 27 are from New York, according the latest update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
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The outbreak includes victims from four other states. Eight people have been sickened in Pennsylvania, four in Virginia, two in New Jersey and one in Maryland. The victims range in age from less than 1 to 94 years old, putting the median age at 43. Sixty percent of victims are female. So far, two people have required hospitalization. No deaths have been reported. Due to the lag in reporting time, illnesses that occurred after October 6, 2011, might not be reported yet, so the total number of case may increase, the CDC cautions.
Public health investigators are using DNA “fingerprints” of the Salmonella bacteria to identify cases of illness that may be part of this outbreak which began on or after August 20, 2011. Virginia health investigators isolated the outbreak strain of Salmonella Enteritidis from Turkish pine nuts that were purchased from bulk bins at Wegmans stores and collected from an ill person’s home.
New York health investigators isolated the outbreak strain of Salmonella Enteritidis from two separate samples of homemade pesto containing Turkish pine nuts from two unrelated ill persons' homes, and from Turkish pine nuts from bulk bins at a Wegmans store and collected from another ill person’s home.
Wegmans Food Markets, Inc., Rochester, N.Y., has recalled approximately 5,000 lbs of Turkish pine nuts sold in the bulk foods departments of most of its stores in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, and Maryland between July 1 and October 18, 2011.
Symptoms of salmonellosis include diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours after infection. The illness usually lasts four to seven days and most people recover without treatment. However, in some cases, the symptoms may be so severe that the patient needs to be hospitalized. If it spreads to the intestines or bloodstream a Salmonella infection can be serious and sometimes, fatal. Older adults, infants, and those with impaired immune systems are most susceptible to likely Salmonella infection. Anyone who has these symptoms should seek medical attention.
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