2018 Salmonella Infections Linked to Hy-Vee Spring Pasta Salad – Final Update – Outbreak Investigation Updates by Date
Final Update
Posted September 5, 2018 at 4:45 PM ET
CDC, public health and regulatory officials in several states, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration investigated a multistate outbreak of Salmonella infections linked to Spring Pasta Salad purchased at Hy-Vee grocery stores. This outbreak appears to be over.
August 1, 2018
Since the last update on July 18, 2018, 58 ill people have been added to this investigation. This includes six people who have been infected with a strain of Salmonella enterica subspecies IIIb, and two people infected with this strain and with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Sandiego at the same time.
As of July 30, 2018, 79 people infected with the outbreak strains of Salmonella Sandiego (71 people), Salmonella enterica subspecies IIIb (6 people), or both (2 people) have been reported from nine states. A list of the states and the number of cases in each can be found on the Map of Reported Cases page.
Illnesses started on dates ranging from June 21, 2018, to July 15, 2018. Ill people range in age from 1 year to 89, with a median age of 47. Among ill people, 67% are female. Out of 74 people with information available, 18 (24%) have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.
Illnesses that occurred after July 8, 2018, 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.
State and local health officials continue to interview ill people and ask questions about the foods they ate and other exposures in the week before they became ill. Forty-seven (80%) of 59 people interviewed reported eating Spring Pasta Salad from Hy-Vee grocery stores in Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, and South Dakota. The ill people in North Dakota and Tennessee traveled to states where Hy-Vee grocery stores are located.
This investigation is ongoing, and CDC will provide updates when more information is available.
July 18, 2018
CDC, public health and regulatory officials in several states, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration are investigating a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Sandiego infections.
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.
As of July 17, 2018, 21 people infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Sandiego have been reported from 5 states. A list of the states and the number of cases in each can be found on the Map of Reported Cases page.
Illnesses started on dates ranging from June 23, 2018, to July 3, 2018. Ill people range in age from 5 years to 89, with a median age of 50. Sixty-two percent are female. Out of 11 people with information available, 5 (45%) have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.
Illnesses that occurred after July 1, 2018, 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.
Investigation of the Outbreak
Epidemiologic evidence indicates that Spring Pasta Salad purchased at Hy-Vee grocery stores is a likely source of the outbreak.
In interviews, ill people answered questions about the foods they ate and other exposures in the week before they became ill. Ten (77%) of 13 people interviewed reported eating Spring Pasta Salad from Hy-Vee grocery stores in Minnesota, Nebraska, and South Dakota.
On July 16, 2018, Hy-Vee, Inc., of West Des Moines, Iowa, removed Spring Pasta Salad products from all of its stores. Hy-Vee stores are located in Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wisconsin. On July 17, 2018, Hy-Vee, Inc. recalled its Spring Pasta Salad because it might be contaminated with Salmonella. Consumers who have recalled Hy-Vee Spring Pasta Salad should not eat it. Return it to the store for a refund or throw it away. Restaurants and retailers should not serve or sell recalled Hy-Vee Spring Pasta Salad.
