CDC and public health and regulatory officials in several states are investigating a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Reading infections linked to raw turkey products. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) is monitoring the outbreak.
Public health investigators are using the PulseNet System to identify illnesses that may be part of this outbreak. PulseNet is the national subtyping network of public health and food regulatory agency laboratories coordinated by CDC. DNA fingerprinting is performed on Salmonella bacteria isolated from ill people by using techniques called pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and whole genome sequencing (WGS). CDC PulseNet manages a national database of these DNA fingerprints to identify possible outbreaks. WGS gives a more detailed DNA fingerprint than PFGE. WGS performed on Salmonella from ill people in this outbreak showed that they are closely related genetically.
As of July 11, 2018, 90 people infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Reading have been reported from 26 states. A list of the states and the number of cases in each can be found on the Map of Reported Cases page. Available data indicate that this strain of Salmonella Reading may be present in live turkeys and raw turkey products. A single, common supplier of raw turkey products or of live turkeys has not been identified.
Illnesses started on dates from November 20, 2017, to June 29, 2018. Ill people range in age from less than 1 year to 91, with a median age of 41. Sixty-one percent are female. Of 78 people with information available, 40 (51%) have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.
Read the full investigation notice.