Minnesota: Two infants sickened with Salmonella linked to eating Krinos brand tahini sesame paste
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) is reporting two cases of salmonellosis in children under one year old after the infants ate Krinos brand tahini sesame paste, which was recalled due to salmonella late last month, according to a MDH press release May 17.
Image/CDC
According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the product was recalled April 28 after the Michigan Department of Agriculture found Salmonella Montevideo in routine sampling. The FDA also found Salmonella Mbandaka in further sampling of the same brand of tahini and the strain matches the DNA fingerprint of a strain associated with a small multi-state cluster of salmonellosis cases.
Health officials have confirmed that the infection in one of the Minnesota cases matches the Mbandaka outbreak strain and one matches the Montevideo strain. Neither child was hospitalized and both are recovering.
State health and agriculture officials today said consumers should not eat Krinos brand tahini from the affected lots and sizes: Krinos brand tahini sesame paste that was distributed nationwide through retail stores. It is sold in 1 lb. glass jars, 2 lb. glass jars and in 40 lb. plastic pails. The UPC codes for the products are 0-75013-28500-3 (1 lb. jar), 0-75013-28510-2 (2 lb. jar) and 0-75013-04018-3 (40 lb. pail). The recalled lots have a code stamped on the lid of EXP JAN 01 – 2014 up to and including EXP JUN 08 – 2014 and EXP OCT 16 – 2014 up to and including EXP MAR 15 – 2015.
Salmonella is an organism, which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakenedimmune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.
Children are especially susceptible because they frequently put their fingers into their mouths and because their immune systems are still developing.
In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis.
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