The Center for Disease Control (CDC) and public health and regulatory officials in several states are investigating a multistate outbreak of multidrug-resistant Salmonella infections linked to raw chicken products. According to an investigation report from the CDC, Salmonella has been identified in samples taken from raw chicken pet food, raw chicken products, and live chickens. Fifty-eight processing facilities have been identified as sources of the contamination. A single, common supplier of raw chicken products or of live chickens has not been identified.
Ninety-two cases of the foodborne illness have been reported across 29 states, of which 21 instances required hospitalization. One person reportedly got sick after pets in their home ate raw ground chicken pet food.
Antibiotic resistance testing conducted by CDC on Salmonella bacteria isolated from ill people shows that the outbreak strain is resistant to multiple antibiotics. No deaths have been reported. The US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) is actively monitoring the outbreak.
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