Salmonella Egg Outbreak CO CA MN
Like Minnesota, health officials in Colorado and California have traced Salmonella outbreaks to the same Iowa egg farm doing business as Wright County Egg.
The CO, CA and MN Salmonella egg outbreaks are under investigation now by state and federal health investigators, including Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
According to an Aug 4 Jefferson County Colorado Public Health statement, 28 people who ate at a locally owned restaurant called The Fort between July 10 and July 16 got sick. Salmonella Enteritidis was confirmed in 8 of the cases and suspected in 20. 
Dr Shaun Cosgrove, an epidemiologist with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, told CIDRAP News that discussions at a food safety conference in Anaheim, coupled with investigations, led to a finding that all egg products with links to clusters of illnesses in Colorado, California and Minesota came from the same farm in Iowa.
Minnesota officials have confirmed seven Salmonella Enteritidis illnesses matching the outbreak strain and they suspect many more. The seven confirmed Minnesota Salmonella egg cases were related to two restaurant outbreaks in May and June.
There are signs the outbreak could be nationwide. CIDRAP cited a CDC statement that said the CDC, FDA, and the US Department of Agriculture are investigating a fourfold national increase in the number of Salmonella Enteritidis isolates with the same pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) pattern.
In June and July about 200 isolates with the same genetic fingerprint were submitted, compared with about 50 monthly uploads usually seen over the past 5 years. The CDC said many states have reported increases in the pattern since May.
A person infected with the Salmonella Enteritidis bacterium usually has fever, abdominal cramps, and diarrhea beginning 12 to 72 hours after consuming a contaminated food or beverage. The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days, and most persons recover without antibiotic treatment. However, the diarrhea can be severe, and the person may be ill enough to require hospitalization.
Salmonella deaths occur every year. Most at risk are young children, older adults and others who have weakened or under-developed immune systems.
If you or a loved one has fallen ill after eating eggs, see a physician immediately for care and a stool culture. For answers to legal questions about a possible Salmonella egg lawsuit, call law firm Pritzker Olsen at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or complete the contact form on the side of this Web page.
Our firm has launched its own investigation and is providing free case consultations to victims. As a leading practitioner of foodborne illness litigation, we have collected millions for victims of food poisoning.
Salmonella Egg Recall Information:
Wright County Egg said the eggs affected by this recall were distributed to food wholesalers, distribution centers and foodservice companies in California, Illinois, Missouri, Colorado, Nebraska, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa. These companies distribute nationwide.
Eggs from Wright County Egg are packaged under the following brand names: Lucerne, Albertson, Mountain Dairy, Ralph’s, Boomsma’s, Sunshine, Hillandale, Trafficanda, Farm Fresh, Shoreland, Lund, Dutch Farms and Kemps.
Recalled eggs are packed in varying sizes of cartons (6-egg cartons, dozen egg cartons, 18-egg cartons) with Julian dates ranging from 136 to 225 and plant numbers 1026, 1413 and 1946. Dates and codes can be found stamped on the end of the egg carton. The plant number begins with the letter P and then the number. The Julian date follows the plant number, for example: P-1946 223.
