An employee works on the frozen ground beef production line on June 16, 2011, in France. (Credit: FRANCOIS NASCIMBENI/AFP via Getty Images)
An employee works on the frozen ground beef production line on June 16, 2011, in France. (Credit: FRANCOIS NASCIMBENI/AFP via Getty Images)
One person in California died and nine others were sickened in a six-state salmonella outbreak linked to ground beef, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A total of 10 people were infected with salmonella Dublin, including two people in California, three in Colorado, two in Kansas and one each in Iowa, Oklahoma and Texas.
Authorities described the illnesses tied to the outbreak as “more severe than expected for salmonella,” according to the CDC news release. Of those sickened, eight were hospitalized, including the unidentified Californian who died.
Though health officials have not identified a single supplier at the center of the outbreak, laboratory testing found that ground beef is a likely source of the illnesses after six patients reported eating ground beef at home, officials said.
The patients all reported eating different types and brands of ground beef bought from different locations.
(Credit: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
The salmonella strain was found in a leftover ground beef package left in one patient’s home in California, and in six samples of raw beef products from slaughter and meat processing facilities, the CDC said.
The strain is closely related to the one that sickened the patients, according to health officials.
Most people infected with the food-borne illness get diarrhea, a fever and stomach cramps within 12 to 72 hours after being exposed to the bacteria.
Though most recover within four to seven days without treatment, some severe cases might call for hospitalization.
“CDC is not advising that consumers stop eating thoroughly cooked ground beef, or that retailers stop selling ground beef,” the federal public health organization said. “This outbreak is a reminder that raw and undercooked ground beef can have germs in it that can make you sick and can contaminate areas where food is prepared.”
Officials advised consumers to handle ground beef carefully and cook it thoroughly to prevent food poisoning.
The investigation into the outbreak is ongoing and no further details were immediately available.