Health officials are expecting to receive confirmation in the coming week from tests on King Nut brand peanut butter -- the product suspected by the Minnesota Department of Health as the cause of a Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak that has sickened at least 399 people in 42 states.
The distributor of the peanut butter, Ohio-based King Nut Companies, has recalled the product and also has advised its customers to discontinue use of Parnell's Pride peanut butter. Both brands are made by Virginia-based Peanut Corporation of America.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published King Nut's recall announcement on its website.
In part, the recall announcement said: "King Nut took this action as soon as it was informed that Salmonella had been found in an open five-pound tub of King Nut peanut butter. King Nut distributes peanut butter only through food service accounts. It is not sold directly to consumers... Customers are asked to take all King Nut peanut butter and Parnell’s Pride peanut butter distributed by King Nut out of distribution immediately.''
Onset of the first known illnesses in the outbreak date back to early September. As the number of cases with matching DNA fingerprints grew, state and federal health officials worked vigorously to identify the food or foods causing the disease. The mystery came to a head last week when the Minnesota Department of Health and Minnesota Department of Agriculture found bacterium matching the outbreak strain in an open container of King Nut creamy peanut butter. The state's own epidemiological investigation had implicated King Nut creamy peanut butter as the likely source of Salmonella infections in 30 state residents, including 10 who lived in nursing homes.
Doug Schultz, a Minnesota Department of Health spokesman, has said one woman in her 70s who had other health problems died with the illness. (Minnesota Salmonella wrongful death information.)
Schultz said DNA fingerprint tests that could confirm whether the Salmonella found in the peanut butter is the same strain that caused illnesses across the United States should be finished Monday or Tuesday. Meanwhile, King Nut and FDA were waiting for Salmonella tests on peanut butter that had been in unopened containers.
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