Investigation Details
Posted January 10, 2024
This outbreak investigation is over, but the recalled pet foods have long shelf lives. Check your home for the recalled pet food and don’t feed it to pets.
CDC, public health and regulatory officials in several states, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Center for Veterinary Medicine (FDA CVM) collected different types of data to investigate a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Kiambu infections in people.
Epidemiologic and laboratory data showed that a specific lot of Victor brand Hi-Pro Plus dry dog food was contaminated with Salmonella and made people sick. The manufacturer, Mid America Pet Food, recalled this and all other brands of pet food they make. See recalls for more details.
Epidemiologic Data
A total of seven people infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella were reported from seven states (see map). Illnesses started on dates ranging from January 14, 2023, to August 19, 2023 (see timeline). One person was hospitalized, and no deaths were reported.
The true number of sick people in this outbreak was likely much higher than the number reported, and the outbreak may not have been limited to the states with known illnesses. This is because many people recover without medical care and are not tested for Salmonella. In addition, recent illnesses may not have been reported as it usually takes 3 to 4 weeks to determine if a sick person is part of an outbreak.
Public health officials collect many different types of information from sick people or their family members, including the sick person’s age, race, ethnicity, other demographics, and food they ate and any animals or pet food they came into contact with the week before they got sick. This information provides clues to help investigators identify the source of the outbreak.
The table below has information about sick people in this outbreak (“n” is the number of people with information available for each demographic).
| Demographics | Information |
|---|---|
| Age (n=7) |
86% 1 year of age or younger 14% 65 years and older |
| Sex (n=7) |
57% female 43% male |
| Race (n=5) |
60% White 20% African American/Black 20% reported more than one race |
| Ethnicity (n=5) |
100% non-Hispanic |
State and local public health officials interviewed people or their family about pets or pet food that the sick person may have come into contact with before they got sick. Of the five people interviewed, all (100%) reported contact with a dog or having a dog in the household, and three (60%) fed their dogs Victor brand dog food. One person reported feeding the Hi-Pro Plus product, and the other two did not remember the specific type of Victor brand product they fed their dogs.
Laboratory Data
Public health investigators used the PulseNet system to identify illnesses that may have been part of this outbreak. CDC PulseNet manages a national database of DNA fingerprints of bacteria that cause foodborne illnesses. DNA fingerprinting is performed on bacteria using a method called whole genome sequencing (WGS).
WGS showed that bacteria from sick people’s samples were closely related genetically. This suggested that people in this outbreak got sick from the same product.
Victor brand Hi-Pro Plus dog food with a lot code of 1000016385 was collected from retail for routine testing by the South Carolina State Department of Agriculture, and Salmonella was identified through analysis by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. WGS showed that the Salmonella in this dog food was closely related to bacteria from sick people. This means that people likely got sick from swallowing germs after touching this dog food, touching things like dog bowls that contained this dog food, or touching the poop or saliva of dogs that were fed this dog food. There have been no leftover Victor brand products from sick people’s homes available for testing for Salmonella.
WGS analysis of bacteria from seven people’s samples and one pet food sample did not predict resistance to any antibiotics. More information is available at the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) site.
Public Health Actions
On September 4, one lot of Victor brand Hi-Pro Plus dog food was recalled.
On October 30, three lots of Victor Super Premium Dog Food, Select Beef Meal & Brown Rice Formula were recalled.
On November 9, Mid America Pet Food recalled all brands of pet food they make.
CDC advises pet owners to throw away any recalled pet food. CDC also advises businesses to not sell, use, or donate recalled pet food.
CDC, public health and regulatory officials in several states, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Center for Veterinary Medicine (FDA CVM) are collecting different types of data to investigate a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Kiambu infections in people.
Epidemiologic and laboratory data show that a specific lot of Victor brand Hi-Pro Plus dry dog food is contaminated with Salmonella and has made people sick. The manufacturer, Mid America Pet Food, has recalled this and all other brands of pet food they make. See recalls for more details.
Epidemiologic Data
As of November 1, 2023, seven people infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella have been reported from seven states (see map). Illnesses started on dates ranging from January 14, 2023, to August 19, 2023 (see timeline). One person was hospitalized and no deaths have been reported.
The true number of sick people in this outbreak is likely much higher than the number reported, and the outbreak may not be limited to the states with known illnesses. This is because many people recover without medical care and are not tested for Salmonella. In addition, recent illnesses may not yet be reported as it usually takes 3 to 4 weeks to determine if a sick person is part of an outbreak.
Public health officials collect many different types of information from sick people or their family members, including the sick person’s age, race, ethnicity, other demographics, and food they ate and any animals or pet food they came into contact with the week before they got sick. This information provides clues to help investigators identify the source of the outbreak.
The table below has information about sick people in this outbreak (“n” is the number of people with information available for each demographic).
| Demographics | Information |
|---|---|
| Age (n=7) |
86% 1 year or younger 14% 65 years and older |
| Sex (n=7) |
57% Female 43% Male |
| Race (n=5) |
60% White 20% African American/Black 20% reported more than one race |
| Ethnicity (n=5) |
100% non-Hispanic |
State and local public health officials are interviewing people or their family about pets or pet food that the sick person may have come into contact with before they got sick. Of the five people interviewed, all (100%) reported contact with a dog or having a dog in the household, and three (60%) fed their dogs Victor brand dog food. One person reported feeding the Hi-Pro Plus product, and the other two did not remember the specific type of Victor brand product they fed their dogs.
Laboratory Data
Public health investigators are using the PulseNet system to identify illnesses that may be part of this outbreak. CDC PulseNet manages a national database of DNA fingerprints of bacteria that cause foodborne illnesses. DNA fingerprinting is performed on bacteria using a method called whole genome sequencing (WGS).
WGS showed that bacteria from sick people’s samples are closely related genetically. This suggests that people in this outbreak got sick from the same product.
Victor brand Hi-Pro Plus dog food with a lot code of 1000016385 was collected from retail for routine testing by the South Carolina State Department of Agriculture and Salmonella was identified through analysis by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. WGS showed that the Salmonella in this dog food is closely related to bacteria from sick people. This means that people likely got sick by touching this dog food, touching things like dog bowls that contained this dog food, or touching the poop or saliva of dogs that were fed this dog food. There have been no leftover Victor brand products from sick people’s homes available for testing for Salmonella.
WGS analysis of bacteria from seven people’s samples and one pet food sample did not predict resistance to any antibiotics. More information is available at the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) site.
Public Health Actions
On September 3, one lot of Victor brand Hi-Pro Plus dog food was recalled.
On October 30, three lots of Victor Super Premium Dog Food, Select Beef Meal & Brown Rice Formula were recalled.
On November 9, Mid America Pet Food recalled all brands of pet food they make.
CDC advises pet owners to throw away any recalled pet food. CDC also advises businesses to not sell, use, or donate recalled pet food.
