Salmonella outbreak linked to Foster Farms chicken tops 400 cases

In their first update in a month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released the latest numbers associated with  Salmonella Heidelberg outbreak linked to Foster Farms chicken products Wednesday.

According to the federal health agency, there are now a total of 416 persons infected with seven outbreak strains of Salmonella Heidelberg have been reported from 23 states and Puerto Rico.

This is up from the 389 cases reported in the Nov. 19 outbreak update. A total of 27 new ill persons have been reported from 4 states: Arizona (2), California (22), Colorado (2), and Washington (1).

Three-quarters of those infected were reported from California.

It was previously reported that the outbreak strains of Salmonella Heidelberg are resistant to several commonly prescribed antibiotics. This antibiotic resistance may be associated with an increased risk of hospitalization.

On October 12 and October 17, 2013, Costco’s El Camino Real store located in South San Francisco, California recalled more than 23,000 units of rotisserie chicken products due to possible Salmonella Heidelberg contamination.

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