Turkey Gravy Salmonella Spoils Minnesota Scout Troop Potluck Dinner
Turkey gravy at a Minnesota scout troop potluck dinner was associated with Salmonella that state health investigators later traced to pet bearded dragons kept by the woman who prepared the gravy and turkeys.
Nineteen potluck attendees who were interviewed by the Minnesota Department of Health said they became ill and five of the 19 tested positive for the outbreak strain of Salmonella subspecies IV via stool cultures.
According to a health department report, the probe began curiously in early December after the health agency recognized that three people from two different families were stricken with the same rare strain of Salmonella -- one that is primarily associated with reptile contact.
All three ill persons had been to the scout troop potluck and none reported having any reptile contact.
After investigators interviewed other attendees, they found that the only food item statistically associated with illness was turkey gravy. Further inquiry led to the following discovery:
"The person who prepared the gravy (and turkeys) did so during the 3 days preceding the potluck. She reported having two pet bearded dragons at home. The gravy was never brought to a boil and drippings were added over several days,'' the report said.
Investigators swabbed the home, including the dragons, and found the outbreak strain of Salmonella subspecies IV in the contents of the home's vacuum cleaner bag. They also determined the dragons' owner was asymptomatically infected.
"The potluck food and potatoes were likely contaminated by either the dragons’ owner... or from contaminated unsanitary kitchen surfaces and equipment from her kitchen,'' the report said.
The origin of this outbreak was quirky, but no less dangerous than other Salmonella outbreaks -- all of which are capable of causing death and long-term health consequences such as Reiter's Syndrome and other arterial problems.
If you or a loved one was sickened in this outbreak, contact a Salmonella lawyer at law firm Pritzker Olsen. To receive a free case consultation, call 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or complete the contact form on the side of this Web page.
Our law firm is one of the few in the country practicing extensively in the area of foodborne illness and we have collected millions for victims of food poisoning.
