Over 30 cases of Salmonella D poisoning have been linked to the Abilene Country Club in Abilene, Texas, according to the Abilene-Taylor County Public Health District. General Manager Edward Grothaus III acknowledges the club has been “identified as a potential source of the salmonella type D cases recently reported in our community.”
The source of the Salmonella food poisoning outbreak has not been determined, but our lawyers have obtained compensation for Salmonella victims in cases where a specific food source was never found.
A Freedom of Information Act Request filed with the city of Abilene by TV station KTXS detailed why the Abilene Country Club recently received such a low-rated health inspection score, 63 out of 100, one of the lowest scores for an Abilene restaurant, according to KTXS.
The inspection found fruit — including cantaloupe, honey dew and watermelon — stored at 48-degrees Fahrenheit. Cantaloupe are particularly susceptible to increased Salmonella colonization when stored at even slightly higher temperatures. Abilene’s Environmental Health Manager Glenn Bailey told KTXS:
“It can be a cold hold temperature, like melons that have been sliced,” Bailey said. “If they have been placed in a refrigerator that is not holding at least 41 degrees or below, that’s Salmonella, if it’s on that product it will grow.”
Baily also told KTXS that the overall food score isn’t a determining factor when determining if a restaurant is shutdown and does not always directly reflect whether or not a restaurant is safe. In addition, the investigation has not pinpointed the cause of the outbreak, and it may not be cantaloupe, honey dew or watermelon.