Investigation Details
Posted August 23, 2023
This outbreak is over. Any ground beef can have germs, like Salmonella. Always cook ground beef to an internal temperature of 160°F.
CDC, public health and regulatory officials in several states, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) investigated a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Saintpaul infections.
Epidemiologic data showed that ground beef was the likely source of the outbreak. However, there were not enough other data to identify a common source of the ground beef.
As of August 23, 2023, this outbreak is over.
Epidemiologic Data
As of August 23, 2023, a total of 18 people infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella were reported from 4 states (see map). Illnesses started on dates ranging from April 27, 2023, through July 6, 2023 (see timeline).
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 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 collected many different types of information from sick people, including their age, race, ethnicity, other demographics, and the foods they ate in the week before they got sick. This information provided 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=18) |
Range from 0 to 97 years Median age of 43 years 17% under 5 years |
| Sex (n=18) |
56% Female 44% Male |
| Race (n=13) |
100% White 0% African American/Black 0% Native American or Alaska Native 0% Asian 0% Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander 0% reported more than one race |
| Ethnicity (n=13) |
100% non-Hispanic 0% Hispanic |
State and local public health officials interviewed people about the foods they ate in the week before they got sick. Of the 16 people interviewed, 10 (63%) reported eating ground beef. Nine sick people reported purchasing the ground beef from ShopRite locations in Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York. Seven of these people specifically reported purchasing 80% lean ground beef products. Two people reported purchasing ground beef products from ShopRite but could not remember the type of ground beef. Epidemiologic showed that ground beef was the likely source of the outbreak. However, there were not enough other data to identify a common source of the ground beef.
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 may have gotten sick from the same food.
The outbreak strain was identified in a routine ground beef surveillance sample collected by USDA-FSIS in March 2023. Additional investigation did not identify a link between the sample and ground beef purchased by sick people.
WGS analysis of bacteria from 17 people’s samples and one food sample did not predict resistance to any antibiotics. Standard antibiotic susceptibility testing by CDC’s National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) laboratory is currently underway.
Public Health Actions
Although this outbreak has ended, CDC always advises you to cook ground beef to an internal temperature of 160°F before eating it.
CDC, public health and regulatory officials in several states, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) are collecting different types of data to identify the source of a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Saintpaul infections.
Epidemiologic Data
As of July 24, 2023, 16 people infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella have been reported from 4 states (see map). Illnesses started on dates ranging from April 27, 2023, through June 16, 2023 (see timeline).
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, including their age, race, ethnicity, other demographics, and the foods they ate in 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=16) |
Range from 0 to 97 years Median age of 28 years 19% under 5 years |
| Sex (n=16) |
56% Female 44% Male |
| Race (n=12) |
100% White 0% African American/Black 0% Native American or Alaska Native 0% Asian 0% Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander 0% reported more than one race |
| Ethnicity (n=12) |
100% non-Hispanic 0% Hispanic |
State and local public health officials are interviewing people about the foods they ate in the week before they got sick. Of the 14 people interviewed, 9 (64%) reported eating ground beef. All 9 purchased the ground beef from ShopRite locations in Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York. Seven of these people specifically reported purchasing 80% lean ground beef products. Two people reported purchasing ground beef products from ShopRite but could not recall the type of ground beef.
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 may have gotten sick from the same food.
A routine FSIS ground beef surveillance sample collected in March 2023 was closely related to bacteria from sick people’s samples. The investigation is ongoing to determine whether the current outbreak is related to ground beef.
WGS analysis of bacteria from 15 people’s samples and one food sample did not predict resistance to any antibiotics. Standard antibiotic susceptibility testing by CDC’s National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) laboratory is currently underway.
Public Health Actions
Investigators are working to identify the source of the ground beef sick people ate. Because ground beef can have germs like Salmonella in it, CDC always advises you to cook ground beef to an internal temperature of 160°F before eating it.
