What do alfalfa sprouts, frozen rodents and pot pies have in common?
You guessed it–Salmonella I 4,[5],12:i:- (that’s pronounced four five twelve eye minus). The recent Salmonella I 4,[5],12:i:- outbreak linked to sprouts served at Jimmy John’s restaurants is the third I 4,[5],12:i:- outbreak in the last two years.
Here are the summaries from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the outbreaks:
Multistate Outbreak of Human Salmonella I 4,[5],12:i:- Infections Linked to Alfalfa Sprouts sold at Jimmy John’s:
From Nov. 1 to Dec. 21, 2010, a total of 89 individuals with a matching strain of Salmonella serotype I 4,[5],12:i:- have been reported from 15 states and the District of Columbia. The number of ill people identified in each state with the outbreak strain is as follows: Connecticut (1), District of Columbia (1), Georgia (1), Hawaii (1), Iowa (1), Illinois (50), Indiana (9), Massachusetts (1), Missouri (14), New York (1), Pennsylvania (2), South Dakota (1), Tennessee (1), Texas (1), Virginia (1), and Wisconsin (3).
Multistate Outbreak of Human Salmonella I 4,[5],12:i:- Infections Associated with Frozen Rodents:
On July 29, 2010, a total of 34 individuals infected with a matching strain of Salmonella serotype I 4,[5],12:i:- were reported from 17 states since January 1, 2010. The number of ill persons identified in each state with this strain is as follows: AL (1), AZ (1), CO (1), GA (7), IA (1), IL (3), MA (3), MI (1), MO (3), NC (3), NV (1), NY (2), SC (1), TN (1), VA (1), WI (3), and WY (1).
(note: The frozen rodents were generally served to reptiles and other pets whose owners then did not wash their hands adequately.)
Multistate Outbreak of Human Salmonella I 4,[5],12:i:- Infections linked to ConAgra Pot Pies:
Between January 1, 2007 and October 29, 2007, at least 272 isolates of Salmonella I 4,[5],12:i:- with an indistinguishable genetic fingerprint have been collected from ill persons in 35 states. Ill persons whose Salmonella strain has this genetic fingerprint have been reported from Arizona (1 person), Arkansas (4), California (18), Colorado (9), Connecticut (7), Delaware (5), Florida (2), Georgia (2), Idaho (11), Illinois (7), Indiana (3), Iowa (1), Kansas (4), Kentucky (9), Massachusetts (7), Maryland (7), Maine (2), Michigan (3), Minnesota (7), Missouri (18), Montana (6), Nevada (6), New York (10), North Carolina (2), Ohio (11), Oklahoma (1), Oregon (4), Pennsylvania (18), Tennessee (6), Texas (4), Utah (12), Virginia (9), Vermont (2), Washington (27), Wisconsin (24), Wyoming (3).
After three outbreaks, don’t you think that Salmonella I 4,[5],12:i:- deserves a proper serotype name? Hmmm, how does Salmonella Marler sound?
