Personal Injury and Wrongful Death

Salmonella Peanut Butter and Peanut Paste Outbreak

Pritzker | Olsen is representing the family of two of the people who died after eating King Nut Peanut Butter. Read our press release regarding the Salmonella wrongful death lawsuit we filed on January 26, 2009.

Attorney Fred PritzkerAttorney Fred Pritzker has been interviewed by The New York Times, CBS, CNN, Fox News and others regarding this outbreak.

Contact us for Salmonella peanut butter and peanut paste lawsuit information:

Important Information about the 2008-2009 Salmonella Peanut Butter and Peanut Paste Outbreak

  • There is a national foodborne illness outbreak
  • It involves Salmonella Typhimurium
  • In this outbreak,  Salmonella poisoning is caused by eating peanut butter or food products containing peanut paste
  • The  peanut butter involved in this outbreak was sold to institutions in containers ranging in size from 5 pounds to 1700 pounds
  • It does not involve peanut butter sold directly to consumers
  • Also involves peanut paste used by other companies to make a wide range of foods
  • The peanut paste is sold in sizes ranging from 35 pounds to products sold by the tanker
  • All of the product involved (peanut butter and peanut paste)  was produced by the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) at its Blakely, Georgia plant
  • An FDA report found instances where the PCA shipped out peanut butter that had tested positive for Salmonella. Read the FDA report. It may take a few seconds for the report to download.
  • The peanut butter in question was produced on or after August 8, 2008
  • The peanut paste in question was produced on or after September 26, 2008
  • Many companies have recalled food products containing the peanut butter or the peanut paste. A list of the recalled product can be found on the web site of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
  • You should not eat products on this list
  • If you believe you or a loved one developed salmonella poisoning from eating one or more of these products and you still have the product, you should appropriately seal the product (to prevent anyone else from eating it by mistake) and save it for further testing
  • The time from consuming food contaminated with Salmonella to the time of developing symptoms associated with Salmonella  is 12-72 hours
  • The symptoms typically associated with Salmonella are diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps
  • So far, over 600 people have been infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella
  • Of those infected, about 25% of them required hospitalization and eight died
  • There are over 2000 subypes of Salmonella
  • The subtype associated with this Salmonella outbreak is called Typhimurium
  • Salmonella Typhimurium is one of the most common types of Salmonella responsible for human illness (human illness resulting from Salmonella is called salmonellosis)
  • However, the genetic fingerprint for this outbreak strain of Salmonella Typhimurium is very rare (which means that people found by stool testing to have this outbreak strain are highly likely to be associated with this outbreak)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is salmonellosis?
Salmonellosis is an infection with bacteria called Salmonella. Most persons infected with Salmonella develop diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours after infection. The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days, and most persons recover without treatment. However, in some persons, the diarrhea may be so severe that the patient needs to be hospitalized. In these patients, the Salmonella infection may spread from the intestines to the blood stream, and then to other body sites and can cause death unless the person is treated promptly with antibiotics. The elderly, infants, and those with impaired immune systems are more likely to have a severe illness.

What sort of germ is Salmonella?
Salmonella is actually a group of bacteria that can cause diarrheal illness in humans. They are microscopic living creatures that pass from the feces of people or animals to other people or other animals. There are many different kinds of Salmonella bacteria. Salmonella serotype Typhimurium and Salmonella serotype Enteritidis are the most common in the United States. Salmonella germs have been known to cause illness for over 100 years. They were discovered by an American scientist named Salmon, for whom they are named.

How can Salmonella infections be diagnosed?
Many different kinds of illnesses can cause diarrhea, fever, or abdominal cramps. Determining that Salmonella is the cause of the illness depends on laboratory tests that identify Salmonella in the stool of an infected person.  Once Salmonella has been identified, further testing can determine its specific type.

How can Salmonella infections be treated?
Salmonella infections usually resolve in 5-7 days and often do not require treatment other than oral fluids. Persons with severe diarrhea may require rehydration with intravenous fluids. Antibiotics, such as ampicillin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, or ciprofloxacin, are not usually necessary unless the infection spreads from the intestines. Some Salmonella bacteria have become resistant to antibiotics, largely as a result of the use of antibiotics to promote the growth of food animals.

Are there long term consequences to a Salmonella infection?
Persons with diarrhea usually recover completely, although it may be several months before their bowel habits are entirely normal. A small number of persons with Salmonella develop pain in their joints, irritation of the eyes, and painful urination. This is called Reiter's syndrome. It can last for months or years, and can lead to chronic arthritis which is difficult to treat. Antibiotic treatment does not make a difference in whether or not the person develops arthritis.

How do people catch Salmonella?
Salmonella live in the intestinal tracts of humans and other animals, including birds. Salmonella are usually transmitted to humans by eating foods contaminated with animal feces. Contaminated foods usually look and smell normal. Contaminated foods are often of animal origin, such as beef, poultry, milk, or eggs, but any food, including vegetables, may become contaminated. Thorough cooking kills Salmonella. Food may also become contaminated by the hands of an infected food handler who did not wash hands with soap after using the bathroom.

Salmonella may also be found in the feces of some pets, especially those with diarrhea, and people can become infected if they do not wash their hands after contact with pets or pet feces. Reptiles, such as turtles, lizards, and snakes, are particularly likely to harbor Salmonella.  Many chicks and young birds carry Salmonella in their feces. People should always wash their hands immediately after handling a reptile or bird, even if the animal is healthy. Adults should also assure that children wash their hands after handling a reptile or bird, or after touching its environment.

What can a person do to prevent this illness?
There is no vaccine to prevent salmonellosis. Because foods of animal origin may be contaminated with Salmonella, people should not eat raw or undercooked eggs, poultry, or meat. Raw eggs may be unrecognized in some foods, such as homemade Hollandaise sauce, Caesar and other homemade salad dressings, tiramisu, homemade ice cream, homemade mayonnaise, cookie dough, and frostings. Poultry and meat, including hamburgers, should be well-cooked, not pink in the middle. Persons also should not consume raw or unpasteurized milk or other dairy products. Produce should be thoroughly washed.

Cross-contamination of foods should be avoided. Uncooked meats should be kept separate from produce, cooked foods, and ready-to-eat foods. Hands, cutting boards, counters, knives, and other utensils should be washed thoroughly after touching uncooked foods. Hand should be washed before handling food, and between handling different food items.

People who have salmonellosis should not prepare food or pour water for others until their diarrhea has resolved.  Many health departments require that restaurant workers with Salmonella infection have a stool test showing that they are no longer carrying the Salmonella bacterium before they return to work.

People should wash their hands after contact with animal feces. Because reptiles are particularly likely to have Salmonella, and it can contaminate their skin, everyone should immediately wash their hands after handling reptiles. Reptiles (including turtles) are not appropriate pets for small children and should not be in the same house as an infant.  Salmonella carried in the intestines of chicks and ducklings contaminates their environment and the entire surface of the animal. Children can be exposed to the bacteria by simply holding, cuddling, or kissing the birds. Children should not handle baby chicks or other young birds.  Everyone should immediately wash their hands after touching birds, including baby chicks and ducklings, or their environment.

How common is salmonellosis?
Every year, approximately 40,000 cases of salmonellosis are reported in the United States. Because many milder cases are not diagnosed or reported, the actual number of infections may be thirty or more times greater. Salmonellosis is more common in the summer than winter.

Children are the most likely to get salmonellosis.  The rate of diagnosed infections in children less than five years old is about five times higher than the rate in all other persons.  Young children, the elderly, and the immunocompromised are the most likely to have severe infections. It is estimated that approximately 400 persons die each year with acute salmonellosis.

What else can be done to prevent salmonellosis?
It is important for the public health department to know about cases of salmonellosis. It is important for clinical laboratories to send isolates of Salmonella to the City, County, or State Public Health Laboratories so the specific type can be determined and compared with other Salmonella in the community. If many cases occur at the same time, it may mean that a restaurant, food or water supply has a problem that needs correction by the public health department.

Some prevention steps occur every day without you thinking about it. Pasteurization of milk and treatment of municipal water supplies are highly effective prevention measures that have been in place for decades. In the 1970s, small pet turtles were a common source of salmonellosis in the United States, so in 1975, the sale of small turtles was banned in this country. However, in 2008, they were still being sold, and cases of Salmonella associated with pet turtles have been reported.  Improvements in farm animal hygiene, in slaughter plant practices, and in vegetable and fruit harvesting and packing operations may help prevent salmonellosis caused by contaminated foods. Better education of food industry workers in basic food safety and restaurant inspection procedures may prevent cross-contamination and other food handling errors that can lead to outbreaks. Wider use of pasteurized egg in restaurants, hospitals, and nursing homes is an important prevention measure. In the future, irradiation or other treatments may greatly reduce contamination of raw meat.

What can I do to prevent salmonellosis?

  • Cook poultry, ground beef, and eggs thoroughly. Do not eat or drink foods containing raw eggs, or raw (unpasteurized) milk.
  • If you are served undercooked meat, poultry or eggs in a restaurant, don't hesitate to send it back to the kitchen for further cooking.
  • Wash hands, kitchen work surfaces, and utensils with soap and water immediately after they have been in contact with raw meat or poultry.
  • Be particularly careful with foods prepared for infants, the elderly, and the immunocompromised.
  • Wash hands with soap after handling reptiles, birds, or baby chicks, and after contact with pet feces.
  • Avoid direct or even indirect contact between reptiles (turtles, iguanas, other lizards, snakes) and infants or immunocompromised persons.
  • Don't work with raw poultry or meat, and an infant (e.g., feed, change diaper) at the same time.
  • Mother's milk is the safest food for young infants. Breastfeeding prevents salmonellosis and many other health problems.

More information:

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)


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