CDC of the United States is collaborating with public health officials in multiple states and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to investigate a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Montevideo infections.
Public health investigators are using the PulseNet system to identify illnesses that may be part of this outbreak. PulseNet, coordinated by CDC, is the national subtyping network of public health and food regulatory agency laboratories. PulseNet performs DNA fingerprinting 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.
A total of 11 people infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Montevideo have been reported from 9 states. A list of states and the number of cases in each can be found on the Case Count Map page.
Illnesses started on dates ranging from December 12, 2015 to February 9, 2016. Ill people range in age from 9 years to 69, with a median age of 31. Seventy-three percent of ill people are male. Among 9 ill people with available information, 2 reported being hospitalized, and no deaths have been reported.
This outbreak can be illustrated with a chart showing the number of people who became ill each day. This chart is called an epidemic curve or epi curve. Illnesses that occurred after February 11, 2016 might not yet be reported due to the time it takes between when a person becomes ill and when the illness is reported. This takes an average of 2 to 4 weeks. Please see the Timeline for Reporting Cases of Salmonella Infection for more details.
Source: CDC of the United States