Sprouts Salmonella Outbreak Expands

Posted on January 15, 2011 by PritzkerLaw

The sprout Salmonella outbreak linked to consumption of Tiny Greens Alfalfa Sprouts or Spicy Sprouts peaked in late November and early December but new cases have continued to be confirmed by medical professionals and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

From November 1, 2010, through January 11, 2011, 125 individuals infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella serotype I 4,[5],12:i:-,  have been reported from 22 states and the District of Columbia -- that's up from 18 states in the previous CDC report. CDC said results of the investigation indicate a link to eating Tiny Greens Alfalfa Sprouts or Spicy Sprouts at Jimmy John’s restaurant outlets.

At Tiny Greens in Urbana, Illinois, FDA testing of a water run-off sample found the Salmonella outbreak strain of bacteria. Based on all information, CDC continues to warn that consumers should not eat recalled Tiny Greens Alfalfa Sprouts or Spicy Sprouts, and restaurant and food service operators should not serve them. 

Individuals sickened in this outbreak in Illinois and elsewhere may be interested in becoming part of a sprouts Salmonella lawsuit or Jimmy John's lawsuit. Outbreak attorneys at PritzkerOlsen, P.A., currently represent victims and are continuing to accept new cases. Get a free consultation at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or by completing our contact form for Salmonella claims. Our law firm has collected millions of dollars for victims of food poisoning and is one of the few in the country practicing extensively in the area of foodborne illness litigation.

More than 20 percent of the victims in this Jimmy John's Salmonella outbreak linked to Tiny Greens Alfalfa Sprouts and Spicy Sprouts have been hospitalized for treatment after suffering painful diarrhea. Some Salmonella infections develop into life-threatening illness, but no one has died in this outbreak. A potential risk for victims is developing arterial infections, reactive arthritis, which also is known as Reiter's Syndrome. 

CDC Breakdown of Sprout Salmonella Outbreak Illnesses:
 
The number of ill persons identified in each state and the District of Columbia with the outbreak strain is as follows: Arkansas (1), California (1), Colorado (1), Connecticut (1), District of Columbia (1), Georgia (1), Hawaii (1), Iowa (1), Illinois (65), Indiana (12), Kentucky (1), Massachusetts (2), Missouri (22), Nebraska (1), Nevada (1), New York (1), Oregon (1), Pennsylvania (3), South Carolina (1), South Dakota (1), Tennessee (2), Virginia (1), and Wisconsin (3).  Case-patients range in age from 1 to 85 years-old, with a median age of 28 years-old. Eighty-three patients (or 67%) are female.  Because the pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) pattern associated with this particular Salmonella serotype commonly occurs in the United States, some of the cases identified may not be related to this outbreak.
 
About half of the illnesses occurred in Illinois, where many of the ill individuals ate sandwiches containing sprouts at various Jimmy John’s outlets. FDA and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) conducted an inspection of Tiny Greens Organic Farm. FDA collected both product and environmental samples. Thus far, product samples tested by FDA are negative. 
 
Since 1996, there have been at least 30 reported outbreaks of foodborne illness associated with different types of raw and lightly cooked sprouts. Most of these outbreaks were caused by Salmonella and E. coli. Some epidemiologists say you should avoid eating sprouts, especially if you are pregnant, very young, elderly or immuno-compromised in some other way.
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