Salmonella Outbreak: January 26,2009

                   CDC

As of 9PM EDT, Sunday, January 25, 2009, 501 persons infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Typhimurium have been reported from 43 states.

Infection may have contributed to eight deaths.

Although we cannot yet say the outbreak is over, the numbers of new cases have declined over the last two weeks.  The outbreak appears to have reached its peak in December and is now in decline.

Salmonella Typhimurium was isolated in Canada from Austin brand peanut butter crackers purchased in the United States. Officials in Canada have identified the Salmonella found in these peanut butter crackers as the outbreak strain.

Salmonella Typhimurium was isolated from Austin brand peanut butter crackers in Canada. Further tests are pending to determine if the Salmonella Typhimurium in these crackers are the outbreak strain.

More than 180 peanut butter-containing products produced by a variety of companies may have been made with the ingredients recalled by PCA.  The list of currently recalled products can be found on the FDA website*.

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