U.S.
health
officials
say
a
food-poisoning
outbreak
tied
to
alfalfa
sprouts
and
involving
both
Salmonella
and
E.
coli
has
sickened
people
in
15
states.
State
officials
announced
the
outbreak
earlier
this
week,
saying
they
documented
more
than
three
dozen
cases
in
Minnesota
and
Wisconsin.
On
Friday,
the
CDC
said
the
agency
is
aware
of
55
cases
nationally,
including
four
people
who
have
been
hospitalized.
The
CDC
said
cases
are
also
reported
in
Florida,
Indiana,
Iowa,
Kansas,
Michigan,
New
Hampshire,
New
York,
Pennsylvania,
North
Carolina,
South
Carolina,
North
Dakota,
South
Dakota,
and
Washington.
Of
34
sick
people
interviewed,
26
reported
eating
alfalfa
sprouts,
according
to
the
FDA.
Food-poisoning
outbreaks
tend
to
be
defined
by
one
type
of
germ,
but
this
outbreak
involves
people
with
Salmonella
and
different
strains
of
E.
coli.
Shiga
toxin-producing
E.
coli
—
or
STEC
—
can
cause
stomach
cramps
and
bloody
diarrhea.
Infections
can
lead
to
a
severe
complication
that
involves
acute
kidney
failure.
Salmonella
poisoning
can
cause
diarrhea,
fever,
severe
vomiting,
dehydration,
and
stomach
cramps.
Officials
are
linking
cases
to
alfalfa
sprouts
produced
by
Everything
Sprouts,
a
Minnesota
grower,
and
sold
under
the
Calco
and
Everything
Sprouts
brands
to
restaurants
and
grocery
stores.
The
company
has
yet
to
issue
a
recall,
the
FDA
said.
Last
year,
the
FDA
sent
a
warning
letter
to
Everything
Sprouts,
saying
inspections
the
year
before
identified
several
points
of
concern,
including
a
leaking
roof
that
was
dropping
water
onto
bean
sprouts
and
workers’
smocks.
The
Associated
Press
left
messages
for
Everything
Sprouts
seeking
comment.
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