Community Chat

[Mindy D]

I have been posting in Wellness about a multistage salmonella outbreak of Salmonella o

for months. People have continued to become ill and 129 have been hospitalized. The CDC has been contact tracing to uncover the source of this outbreak. The source has finally been identified. Do not eat any unlabeled whole red, white or yellow onions imported from Chihuahua, Mexico and distributed throughout the United States by ProSource, Inc. 

I thank the CDC personnel for their diligent work in tracking down the source of this ongoing outbreak. They deserve a lot of credit for their dedication and hard work. 

A CDC food safety alert regarding a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Oranienburg infections has been posted: https://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/oranienburg-09-21/index.html

Key Points:

• 652 peoplehave been reported sick from 37 states, and 129 people have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.
• Epidemiologic and traceback data show that one source of infections in this outbreak are whole red, white, and yellow onions imported from Chihuahua, Mexico, and distributed throughout the United States by ProSource Inc.
• CDC advises people who have unlabeled whole red, white, or yellow onions at home to throw them away and not eat them. People should not eat, and businesses should not sell or serve, whole onions that were imported from Chihuahua, Mexico, and distributed by ProSource Inc.
• Interviews with sick people show that 75% of people ate or possibly ate raw onions or dishes likely containing raw onions before they became sick. Several ill people reported eating at the same restaurants, indicating they may be part of illness clusters.
• The outbreak strain was identified in a sample of cilantro and lime from a restaurant condiment cup collected from a sick person’s home. The sick person also reported that the cup contained onions, though none were left in the cup when it was tested.
• Investigators determined that ProSource Inc. supplied whole onions to many of the restaurants where sick people ate, including to the restaurant where the condiment cup was collected.
• Investigators are working to determine if other onions or suppliers are linked to this outbreak.

What You Should Do:

• Do not buy or eat any whole fresh red, white, or yellow onions if they were imported from Chihuahua, Mexico, and distributed by ProSource Inc.
• Throw away any whole red, white, or yellow onions you have at home that do not have a sticker or packaging.
• Wash surfaces and containers that may have touched the onions using hot soapy water or a dishwasher.
• Contact a healthcare provider if you have severe Salmonella symptoms.

About Salmonella:

• Most people infected with Salmonella develop diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramping 6 hours to 6 days after eating contaminated food.
• The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days, and most people recover without treatment.
• In some people, the illness may be so severe that the patient is hospitalized. Salmonella infection may spread from the intestines to the bloodstream and then to other parts of the body.
• Children younger than 5, adults 65 and older, and people with weakened immune systems are more likely to have severe illness.

If you have questions about cases in a particular state, please call that state’s health department.

Above is quoted from the CDC page on this outbreak. Complete CDC page is here https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwin4ZaYxtrzAhUnlGoFHbrXBd8Q...

What You Should Do

Do not buy or eat any whole fresh red, white, or yellow onions if they were imported from Chihuahua, Mexico and distributed by ProSource Inc.

Throw away any whole red, white, or yellow onions you have at home that do not have a sticker or packaging.

• These onions may have stickers or packaging indicating the brand (ProSource Inc.) and the country (Mexico) where they were grown.
• If you can’t tell where the onions are from, don’t buy or eat them.
• Wash surfaces and containers these onions may have touched using hot soapy water or a dishwasher.

 MORE on the outbreak

CDC, FDA, and public health and regulatory officials in several states are collecting different types of data to investigate a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Oranienburg infections linked to onions.

Epidemiologic and traceback data show that illnesses in this outbreak are linked to whole red, white, and yellow onions distributed by ProSource Inc. that were imported from Chihuahua, Mexico. Investigators are working to determine if other onions or suppliers are linked to this outbreak.

Epidemiologic Data

As of October 18, 2021, 652 people infected with the outbreak strain of SalmonellaOranienburg have been reported from 37 states (see map). Illnesses started on dates ranging from May 31, 2021, to September 30, 2021 (see timeline).

Sick people range in age from less than 1 year to 97 years, with a median age of 37, and 57% are female. Of 417 people with information available, 129 (31%) have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.

The true number of sick people in an outbreak is likely much higher than the number reported, and the outbreak may not be limited to the states with known illnesses. This is because many people recover without medical care and are not tested for Salmonella. In addition, recent illnesses may not yet be reported as it usually takes 3 to 4 weeks to determine if a sick person is part of an outbreak.

In interviews, ill people answered questions about the foods they ate and other exposures in the week before they became ill. Of 193 people with information, 145 (75%) reported eating or maybe eating raw onions or dishes likely containing raw onion before they became sick. Several ill people reported eating at the same restaurants, indicating they may be part of illness clusters. These clusters can provide clues about what food item may be making people sick. If several unrelated ill people ate or shopped at the same location of a restaurant or store within several days of each other, it suggests that the contaminated food item was served or sold there. States identified 20 illness clusters at restaurants where onions were served. Information from these clusters shows that many ill people ate raw onions.

Laboratory and Traceback Data

FDA conducted a traceback investigation and identified ProSource Inc. as a common supplier of imported onions to many of the restaurants where sick people ate. One of these clusters occurred in a restaurant where investigators identified the outbreak strain of Salmonella Oranienburg in a condiment container with leftover lime and cilantro. The sick person reported that the condiment cup had also contained onions, although none were left when the condiment was tested. FDA is working to determine if other suppliers of onions may be linked to this outbreak or if there is a common supplier of onions in Chihuahua, Mexico.

Whole genome sequencing of bacteria in samples from 609 people did not predict any antibiotic resistance. Samples from three people were predicted to be resistant to one or more of the following antibiotics: amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, ampicillin, cefoxitin, and ceftriaxone, gentamicin, streptomycin, sulfamethoxazole, and tetracycline. Standard antibiotic susceptibility testing by CDC’s National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) laboratory is currently underway. Most people with Salmonella illness recover without antibiotics. However, if antibiotics are needed, this resistance is unlikely to affect the choice of antibiotic used to treat most people because it is rare.

Public Health Actions

CDC and FDA recommend that you not eat, sell, or serve fresh whole red, white, or yellow onions distributed by ProSource Inc. that were imported from Chihu

[Mindy D]

[Kachina624]

@Mindy D    How in the heck is anyone supposed to know w where their onion comes from? 

[mac116]

I would have no idea where my onions originated.  I purchase single onions that often have no sticker.

[phoenixbrd]

Wonder if Costco or Trader Joe's has been selling these onions.  Thanks @Mindy D  for the share.

[Mindy D]

@mac116 @Check with your store if you still have an onion. Ask the store manger or produce manager. Explain the situation.  CDC is advising persons to discard onions if they do not know their source. If you just bought the onion, your grocery manager could tell if they came from ProSource. 

[Mindy D]

@Kachina624 @Call your grocery store produce manager or store manager tomorrow and ask if they get their onions from ProSource. Explain about the outbreak. Until you determine the source of your onion, do not eat it. Groceries will get notified, but it could take time. I don't want to risk anyone on the Forum getting sick so I'm notifying. You could also try emailing the grocery store chain corporate offices to find out. 

[Mindy D]

@Kachina624 @If you are in New Mexico there's a chance your onions could be involved.

[phoenixbrd]

@Mindy D   We always have purple and sweet onions on hand....bought a big bag of organic white sweet onions at Costco recently....lots of produce comes from Mexico.  I'm throwing everything away, but I paused when I read your information as my husband said he felt sick from the onions on top of the chili we had.  He has never expressed a reaction like that before.  I'm sure all is well, but the onions are toast.

[Mindy D]

@phoenixbrd @I urge you to contact the store where you purchased the onions. This can help you rule out Salmonella o  as your husband's illness. Organic onions have not been mentioned but that does not mean they are not part of the onions affected. The company that is involved in distribution is called ProSource. CDC is still investigating if other companies could be involved. 

Quoted from the Salmonella page on the CDC website:

Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any of these severe Salmonella symptoms:

• Diarrhea and a fever higher than 102°F
• Diarrhea for more than 3 days that is not improving
• Bloody diarrhea
• So much vomiting that you cannot keep liquids down
• Signs of dehydration, such as:
  • Not peeing much
  • Dry mouth and throat
  • Feeling dizzy when standing up

Symptoms of Salmonella

• Most people infected with Salmonella experience diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps.
  • Symptoms usually start 6 hours to 6 days after swallowing the bacteria.
  • Most people recover without treatment after 4 to 7 days.
• Some people – especially children younger than 5 years, adults 65 years and older, and people with weakened immune systems – may experience more severe illnesses that require medical treatment or hospitalization.
• For more information about Salmonella, see the Salmonella Questions and Answers page.:

  Symptoms usually begin six hours to six days after infection and last four to seven days. However, some people do not develop symptoms for several weeks after infection and others experience symptoms for several weeks.

  Salmonella strains sometimes cause infection in urine, blood, bones, joints, or the nervous system (spinal fluid and brain), and can cause severe disease.

  Salmonella are a diverse group of bacteria.

  Scientists classify Salmonella into serotypes (types) by identifying structures on the bacteria’s surfaces. Although more than 2,500 serotypes have been described, fewer than 100 are known to cause human infections.

  More >
  From me, people taking stomach acid reducers are at an increased risk.