Mysterious Salmonella Outbreak Strikes MA: What We Know

MASSACHUSETTS — A salmonella outbreak potentially linked to fast food containers has sickened more than 250 people across the country, including at least 10 people in Massachusetts. While investigators have yet to determine a food source behind the illnesses, lab tests found the strain called Salmonella Oranienburg a restaurant takeout container with lime and cilantro.

Salmonella Oranienburg has hospitalized 279 people and has been reported in 29 states since the first case was reported Aug. 3. Connecticut, with five cases, is the only other New England state that reported outbreaks when the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last updated case counts on Sept. 23. The states that have been hardest hit include Texas (81 cases), Oklahoma (40) and Illinois (26).

"State and local officials have collected food items from some of the restaurants where sick people ate," the CDC said. "The outbreak strain of Salmonella Oranienburg was found in a sample taken from a takeout condiment cup containing cilantro and lime. The sick person reported that the condiment container also contained onions, but none were left in the cup when it was tested."

People infected with salmonella often experience diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps sometime between six hours to six days after swallowing the bacteria, according to the CDC.

Most people recover between four and seven days after being infected. Children younger than 5 and adults 65 years and older may experience more severe illnesses that require hospitalization.

The number of cases has nearly doubled since Sept. 15, when the CDC reported 127 cases of illness. Sick people range in age from less than 1 year to 82 years, with a median age of 33, and 59 percent are female. No deaths have been reported.

"Recent illnesses may not yet be reported as it usually takes 3 to 4 weeks to determine if a sick person is part of an outbreak," the CDC said. "The true number of sick people in an outbreak is also likely much higher than the number reported. This is because many people recover without medical care and are not tested for Salmonella."