Outbreak linked to alfalfa sprouts; people sickened with E. coli and salmonella

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Friday that alfalfa sprouts are linked to a current E. coli and salmonella outbreak.

The agency has tied several foodborne illness cases to the consumption of alfalfa sold under the Calco and Everything Sprouts brands, also urging Americans who have purchased the affected sprouts to throw them away or return them.

The contaminated alfalfa sprouts have sparked the third ongoing salmonella outbreak this month and second E. coli ongoing outbreak since the beginning of the year. In late July, the agency identified certain shelled eggs as a source of salmonella and later recalled some frozen blueberries for posing a severe risk of E. coli infection.

As of Friday, the CDC announced that the 55 reported cases were spread across 15 states, with four cases resulting in hospitalization. While interviewing the infected people, 76 percent had reported eating the sprouts in the week before they got sick.

Most people impacted by the outbreak only contracted one of the illnesses — with 46 contracting E. coli and seven salmonella. The remaining two caught both.

But the CDC estimates the number could be higher, as it’s common for those infected with salmonella and E. coli to recover without receiving medical care.

The CDC said it believes the outbreak began between May 31 and Aug. 8, and traceback data tied infections to alfalfa from Calco and Everything Sprouts — both sold at grocery stores and used in restaurants.

Cases in Minnesota and Wisconsin accounted for nearly 70 percent of recorded infections. The CDC traced back some of these cases to restaurants in both states that reported using Everything Sprouts-branded alfalfa.

Officials are continuing to investigate the outbreak, which involves three different strains of E. coli and one strain of salmonella.

Salmonella is a common foodborne illness causing diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps. The CDC estimates that these symptoms can emerge between six hours and six days after infection and last four to seven days.

Common symptoms of an E. coli infection are similar to salmonella but can also include stomach cramps, bloody stool or urine, vomiting and dehydration, according to the Food and Drug Administration . They can begin just a few days to as many as nine days after ingesting E. coli bacteria.

Investigators found the percentage of infected people who ate alfalfa was much higher than the number of Americans who report eating it, supporting their finding that the sprout caused the illness.

The CDC’s FoodNet Population survey — used to estimate how often Americans eat foods commonly linked to illness — found only 8.7 percent of respondents had eaten the sprouts within the past seven days.