1. Multistate outbreak of Salmonella serovar Muenchen infections associated with alfalfa sprouts grown from seeds pretreated with calcium hypochlorite
- Author
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Jeffrey P. Davis, Mary Lou Tortorello, Mary E. Proctor, John R. Archer, and Marge Hamacher
- Subjects
Microbiology (medical) ,Serotype ,Adult ,Male ,Salmonella ,Adolescent ,Epidemiology ,Germination ,Biology ,medicine.disease_cause ,Microbiology ,Disease Outbreaks ,Toxicology ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,medicine ,Humans ,Letter to the Editor ,Aged ,Calcium hypochlorite ,Aged, 80 and over ,Outbreak ,food and beverages ,Calcium Compounds ,Middle Aged ,United States ,Salmonella Food Poisoning ,Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field ,Disinfection ,chemistry ,Consumer knowledge ,Case-Control Studies ,Seeds ,Female ,Sprouting ,Medicago sativa - Abstract
During September 1999, a multistate outbreak of Salmonella serovar Muenchen infection associated with eating raw alfalfa sprouts was identified in Wisconsin. Despite use of a calcium hypochlorite sanitizing procedure to pretreat seeds before sprouting, at least 157 outbreak-related illnesses were identified in seven states having sprouters who received alfalfa seed from a specific lot. The continued occurrence of sprout-related outbreaks despite presprouting disinfection supports the concern that no available treatment will eliminate pathogens from seeds before sprouting and reinforces the need for additional safeguards to protect the public. A lack of consumer knowledge regarding exposure to sprouts documented in this investigation suggests that more-targeted outreach to high-risk individuals may be needed to reduce their risk.
- Published
- 2001