171 of 191 interviewed patients ate at Mexican-style restaurants
The outbreak’s earliest reported illness onset was June 19, and the last known onset date was July 20. The FDA said Wednesday that 36 people had been hospitalized and no deaths had been reported.
The FDA linked the outbreak to Salmonella Javiana infections and jalapeño peppers from Sinaloa, Mexico. Coast Citrus Distributors distributed the peppers to restaurants, including Mexican-style restaurants, and to food service companies in the United States.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the peppers were primarily distributed to restaurants or wholesalers. The FDA was working to determine whether any of the product reached grocery stores.
Patient interviews provided a separate connection to restaurant dining. The FDA said 191 patients had been interviewed, and 171 reported eating at a Mexican-style restaurant between June 14 and July 14. Those restaurants included Chipotle Mexican Grill and QDOBA.
Both chains received product imported by Coast Citrus, according to the FDA. Chipotle switched its jalapeño supply for stores nationwide on July 20, and QDOBA made the change on July 29. QDOBA also stopped serving jalapeños altogether.
The FDA said the restaurant actions had removed the current risk it associated with those establishments: “Given their actions to remove product from their stores, FDA does not consider there to be a current ongoing risk from these establishments to consumers in this outbreak.”
Coast Citrus, following an FDA recommendation, agreed to recall the remaining implicated product. The distributor was identifying and contacting affected customers, the FDA said.
Chipotle said it identified the Sinaloa jalapeños as a common ingredient from a common lot after learning of the outbreak. The company said it “proactively removed them from the restaurants where they had been distributed, and replaced them with product from different growers.”
Chipotle also said, “The recalled jalapeño peppers are no longer in Chipotle restaurants and given these actions, the CDC and FDA have said they do not consider there to be a current ongoing risk with Chipotle restaurants in this outbreak.”
The CDC says Salmonella bacteria are the leading cause of foodborne illness in the United States, leading to about 1.35 million infections a year. The agency said people can become infected by eating contaminated food, drinking or coming into contact with contaminated water, or touching animals, their feces or places where they live.
Children under 5 and adults over 65 have increased chances of serious illness. Symptoms can include watery diarrhea that may contain blood or mucus, stomach cramps, headaches, nausea, vomiting and appetite loss.
According to the CDC, symptoms usually begin between six hours and six days after infection and can last up to seven days.