At least 11 people from 9 states are part of an outbreak of Salmonella Montevideo associated with eating pistachios produced by Wonderful Pistachios of Lost Hills, California:
Collaborative investigative efforts of state, local, and federal public health and regulatory officials indicate that pistachios produced by Wonderful Pistachios of Lost Hills, California are a likely source of this outbreak, according to the CDC.
Two of the 9 were hospitalized.
The states with illnesses include the following: Alabama (1), Arizona (2), Connecticut (1), Georgia (1), Michigan (1), Minnesota (1), North Dakota (1), Virginia (1) and Washington (2). People first started getting sick on December 12, 2015, the the last reported date for onset of illness was February 9, 2016. People sickened in the outbreak range in age from 9 years to 69, with a median age of 31.
Outbreak Investigation
Interviews with Outbreak Victims
Health officials interviewed people sickened in this outbreak, having them answer questions about foods eaten and other exposures in the week before they became ill. Of the nine ill people who were interviewed, eight (89%) reported eating pistachios in the week before illness started. This proportion is significantly higher than results from a survey of healthy people in which 12% reported eating pistachios in the week before they were interviewed. When asked about the brand of pistachios eaten, five (63%) of eight ill people reported eating Wonderful brand pistachios.
Salmonella Testing
Recent laboratory testing isolated the outbreak strain of Salmonella Montevideo from samples of raw pistachios collected from Paramount Farms, where Wonderful pistachios are grown, according to the CDC.
Investigators are using whole genome sequencing (WGS) to get more information about the DNA fingerprint of Salmonella Montevideo causing illness. WGS showed that isolates from ill people are closely related genetically. In addition, WGS showed that isolates from raw pistachios supplied by Paramount Farms are also closely related genetically to isolates from ill people. This close genetic relationship provides solid evidence that ill people in this outbreak became ill from consuming pistachios produced by Wonderful Pistachios. This evidence can be used in a lawsuit against Paramount Farms, Wonderful Pistachios and possibly Trader Joes or another retailer.
Our law firm is investigating this outbreak. Contact us for a free consultation. For information about a lawsuit, read “Salmonella Lawsuit: 5 Reasons to Sue.”
To find out if you are part of this outbreak and to protect your legal rights it is extremely important that you do the following:
- Seek medical attention;
- If Salmonella food poisoning (also called salmonellosis) is suspected, as your doctor to specifically test for that and to preserve any Salmonella isolates for further testing;
- If Salmonella is found, contact your local health department and tell them you ate pistachios and think you might be part of this outbreak; and
- Contact our law firm because this is what we do, and we have made millions for our clients.
Wonderful Pistachios Recall
On March 9, 2016, Wonderful Pistachios issued a recall of a limited number of flavors and sizes of in-shell and shelled pistachios because they may be contaminated with Salmonella. The pistachios were sold under the brand names:
- Wonderful
- Paramount Farms
- Trader Joe’s.
The products, which were distributed through several retailers nationwide and Canada, can be identified by a 13-digit lot code number that can be found on the lower back or bottom panel of the package. Click here for a Wonderful Pistachios recall list.