Personal Injury and Wrongful Death

MN Scout Potluck Salmonella Outbreak

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Salmonella Sickens Attendees of
Minnesota Scout Troup Potluck Dinner

Turkey Gravy SalmonellaThe Minnesota Department of Health recently investigated an outbreak of Salmonella that was linked to turkey gravy served at a scout troop potluck in Minnesota. The turkey gravy was prepared in a home with two pet bearded dragons.


The following is the Minnesota Department of Health announcement of the outbreak:

We recently investigated an outbreak of Salmonella subspecies IV, an extremely rare subspecies that is primarily reptile-associated. In early December, we detected 3 human isolates with the same PFGE pattern. The 3 cases were from two different households. All had attended a scout troop potluck dinner and had symptom onset 12-24 hours after the potluck. None had reptile contact.

We interviewed potluck attendees and found 19 persons to be ill for an attack rate of 29%. Of the 19 cases, 17 were primary cases and 2 were secondary cases (exposed to a primary case); 5 were stool culture-confirmed. Five had sought health care. Consuming turkey gravy at the potluck was the only food item statistically associated with illness.

Bearded Dragon SalmonellosisThe person who prepared the gravy (and turkeys) did so during the 3 days preceding the potluck. She reported having two pet bearded dragons at home. The gravy was never brought to a boil and drippings were added over several days. We visited her home and took environmental swabs. We found multiple swabs positive for Salmonella Labada, a rare serotype, including inside and outside the dragons’ terrarium, a dragon’s stool sample, a cloacal swab from a dragon (a fun activity!), bathroom sink, and kitchen sink. Because Salmonella shedding by the dragons may be intermittent, we swabbed the contents of the vacuum cleaner bag, thinking it might reflect contamination at the time of the food preparation, and from there we did isolate Salmonella subspecies IV of the same PFGE subtype.

The dragon owner also helped prepare mashed potatoes in a second household where there were 2 culture-confirmed cases including 1 case who did not attend the potluck but only ate leftover mashed potatoes. The potluck food and potatoes were likely contaminated by either the dragons’ owner who was asymptomatically infected (a stool sample was not obtained from her) or from contaminated unsanitary kitchen surfaces and equipment from her kitchen.

If you were sickened in this outbreak of Salmonella infection (salmonellosis), please contact our law firm about a Safeway lawsuit: call 1-888-377-8900 (toll free) or submit our Salmonella free case consultation form.

Contact Fred Pritzker

Our attorneys have appeared on CBS, Fox and local television stations discussing food litigation and food safety. They have also been interviewed by The Associated Press, The New York Times and others. Attorney Fred Pritzker is listed in the current edition of The Best Lawyers in America. To contact our lawyers about a Salmonella lawsuit, please call 1-888-377-8900 (toll free) or submit our free consultation form.

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