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Are there 5,860 Sickened by Salmonella Sushi?

The CDC’s recent estimates that for every case counted, 29.3 cases go unreported and therefore uncounted. See Table 2 – (http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/17/1/p1-1101-t2.htm) in this citation: Scallan E, Hoekstra RM, Angulo FJ, Tauxe RV, Widdowson M-A, Roy SL, et al. Foodborne illness acquired in the United States—major pathogens. Emerg Infect Dis [serial on the Internet]. 2011 Jan. http://dx.doi.org/10.3201/eid1701.P11101. That would mean this outbreak has sickened as many as 5,860 people. If applying a previous CDC estimated ratio of non-reported salmonellosis cases to reported cases (38.6), one would arrive at an estimated 7,720 illnesses from this outbreak. Voetsch, et al. (2004-04-15). “FoodNet Estimate of the Burden of Illness Caused by Nontyphoidal Salmonella Infections in the United States”. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 2004; 38:S3.

190 persons infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Bareilly have been reported from 21 states and the District of Columbia. The number of ill persons with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Bareilly identified in each state is as follows: Alabama (2), Arkansas (1), Connecticut (8), District of Columbia (2), Florida (1), Georgia (9), Illinois (15), Louisiana (3), Maryland (20), Massachusetts (24), Mississippi (2), Missouri (4), New Jersey (18), New York (33), North Carolina (3), Pennsylvania (7), Rhode Island (6), South Carolina (3), Texas (4), Virginia (9), Vermont (1), and Wisconsin (15).

10 persons infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Nchanga have been reported from 5 states. The number of ill persons with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Nchanga identified in each state is as follows: Georgia (2), New Jersey (1), New York (5), Virginia (1), and Wisconsin (1).

28 ill persons have been hospitalized, and no deaths have been reported.

Collaborative investigation efforts of state, local, and federal public health agencies indicate that a frozen raw yellowfin tuna product, known as Nakaochi Scrape, from Moon Marine USA Corporation is the likely source of this outbreak.

FDA laboratories have identified Salmonella in two samples of Nakaochi scrape yellowfin tuna with a PFGE pattern indistinguishable from the Salmonella Bareilly strain associated with this outbreak. One of the samples also yielded another type of Salmonella with a PFGE pattern indistinguishable from the cluster of Salmonella Nchanga infections.

Testing conducted by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture Trade and Consumer Protection laboratory isolated the outbreak strain of Salmonella Bareilly from one sample of recalled tuna and one sample of a spicy tuna roll made with recalled tuna.