More than 100 people in Minnesota have fallen ill with salmonella in an outbreak health officials say may be tied to jalapeños served at Chipotle and other restaurants.
The Minnesota Department of Health has identified 110 salmonella cases connected to Mexican-style fast-casual restaurants. Officials have not said whether any of those infected required hospitalization.
Investigators are focusing on jalapeños as the likely source after interviewing 84 people who became sick. About 90 percent reported that they had eaten jalapeños at Chipotle or another restaurant before symptoms began.
Public health officials cautioned that the actual number of infections is probably much higher, since many people with salmonella symptoms recover without seeking medical care or being tested.
The Food and Drug Administration opened an investigation on July 22 after illnesses were reported among people who had eaten the suspected foods at Chipotle locations and other restaurants.
Chipotle also began examining its supply chain the same day in an effort to determine where the contaminated ingredient may have originated.
It remains unclear whether Chipotle restaurants outside Minnesota are involved. State health officials said they are coordinating with agencies in other states, noting that the jalapeños linked to the outbreak were not exclusive to Chipotle and were served at additional restaurants.
The salmonella investigation comes as the US is also confronting a large cyclosporiasis outbreak linked to shredded iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms, which was sold at Taco Bell and other retailers. That outbreak has now been associated with more than 15 states and has sickened thousands of people.
More than 110 people have been sickened with salmonella after eating at Chipotle
Investigators suspect jalapeños may be the source of the contamination
Laurie Schalow, Chipotle’s chief corporate affairs and food safety officer, told the Daily Mail: ‘We have a robust ingredient traceability system and, upon learning of a potential Salmonella outbreak in the supply chain impacting several food service retailers, we proactively identified jalapeños as a potential common ingredient from a common lot.
‘We removed them from the restaurants where they had been distributed, and replaced them with product from different growers.’
Salmonella is primarily spread by consuming foods or drinks contaminated with the bacteria.
Healthy people infected with salmonella often suffer from fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain, which clears within a few days. In serious cases, however, patients can suffer from potentially fatal complications including sepsis.
Health officials warn very young children, older adults and those with weakened immune systems are at higher risk from salmonella infections.
In a statement, the Minnesota Department of Health said it was no longer concerned about further infections triggered by Chipotle, saying the jalapeños had been pulled from shelves, but warned they may still be in other restaurants.
Carlota Medus, a senior epidemiologist at the department, said: ‘Chipotle has fully collaborated on every aspect of this investigation; ranging from providing records and information about the foods they receive at their restaurants, as well as implementing mitigation steps right away to prevent further transmission.
‘It is too soon for us to know if the outbreak is ongoing. Given the measures Chipotle put in place, we are not concerned about Chipotle.
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. Investigators suspect jalapeños may be the source of the contamination
‘But it is possible that the outbreak is ongoing if the contaminated food item is being served elsewhere.’
She added: ‘We do expect the case count to increase even if the illnesses occurred a couple of weeks ago, since it takes us a while to detect cases in surveillance.’
It was not clear what caused the outbreak, but jalapeños can be contaminated with bacteria if they are irrigated with water contaminated with animal feces.
The FDA registered the outbreak on its website on July 22.
Chipotle has faced a series of severe E coli, salmonella and norovirus outbreaks across multiple US states dating back to 2015.
In August 2018, 624 people fell sick with severe stomach problems after eating at just one Chipotle restaurant in Ohio. Patients were infected with Clostridium perfringens, a common cause of food poisoning in the US.
Another 200 people were sickened during a norovirus outbreak at a California restaurant in 2015, before 133 fell ill with the same disease at a Virginia outlet in 2017.
In 2020, the company paid a $25 million fine to settle criminal charges linked to outbreaks that sickened more than 1,100 people. The case involved food-safety failures, not a contaminated ingredient.
Salmonella accounts for about one in four diarrheal diseases worldwide
Salmonella is most common in poultry, red meat, dairy products, eggs, fish, fruits and vegetables.
The bacterium infects 1.3 million Americans every year. Most people recover within days, though the illness is responsible for more than 26,000 hospitalizations and 400 deaths a year.
Symptoms include bloody diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps that begin six hours to six days after initial infection, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Unlike most bacteria, once consumed, some strains of salmonella can survive the stomach acid and travel into the intestines.
Once there, they burrow into the cells lining the organ, causing inflammation, diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever. The bacteria may also enter the bloodstream and travel to other organs.
People can catch salmonella after eating contaminated food, drinking fluids laced with the bacteria or touching the droppings of infected animals.
People can also catch salmonella from others via touching surfaces that have been contaminated with the feces of a sick patient.
Symptoms are triggered within six hours to six days of infection, with patients told to call their doctor if diarrhea or vomiting lasts more than two days, if they notice blood in their urine or feces, develop a high fever or show signs of dehydration.
