The CDC, public health and regulatory officials in several states, and the US Food and Drug Administration Center for Veterinary Medicine (FDA CVM) are collecting various types of data to investigate a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Kiambu infections in humans.
Epidemiologic and laboratory data show that a specific lot of Victor brand Hi-Pro Plus dry dog food was contaminated with Salmonella and caused disease to people. The manufacturer, Mid America Pet Food, has recalled this and all other brands of pet food they make. See recalls for more details.
Epidemiologic data
On November 1, 2023, seven people were infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella have been reported from seven states (see map). The illnesses began on dates from January 14, 2023, to August 19, 2023 (see timeline). One person was hospitalized and no deaths were reported.
The true number of people sickened in this outbreak is likely higher than the number reported, and the outbreak may not be limited to states with known diseases. This is because many people recover without medical care and go undiagnosed Salmonella. In addition, recent illnesses may have gone unreported because it usually takes 3 to 4 weeks to determine whether a sick person is part of an outbreak.
Public health officials collect many different types of information from sick people or their family members, including the sick person’s age, race, ethnicity, other demographics, and the foods they ate. and any animals or pet food they came in contact with in the week before they got it. sick. This information provides clues to help investigators determine the source of the outbreak.
The table below has information about people sickened in this outbreak (“n” is the number of people with information available for each demographic).
| Demographics | Information |
|---|---|
| Age (n=7) |
86% 1 year or younger 14% 65 years of age and older |
| gender (n=7) |
57% Female 43% Male |
| Race (n=5) |
60% White 20% African American/Black 20% reported more than one race |
| Ethnicity (n=5) |
100% non-Hispanic |
State and local public health officials are interviewing people or their families about pets or pet food that may have come into contact with the sick person before they got sick. Of the five people interviewed, all (100%) reported contact with a dog or having a dog in the household, and three (60%) fed their dogs Victor brand dog food. One person reported feeding the Hi-Pro Plus product, and the other two did not recall the specific type of Victor brand product they fed their dogs.
Laboratory data
Public health investigators are using the PulseNet system to identify diseases that may be part of this outbreak. CDC PulseNet maintains a national database of DNA fingerprints of bacteria that cause foodborne illnesses. DNA fingerprinting is done on bacteria using a method called whole genome sequencing (WGS).
WGS showed that bacteria from samples of sick people were closely related genetically. This indicates that the people in this outbreak became ill from the same product.
Victor brand Hi-Pro Plus dog food with lot code 1000016385 was collected from retail for routine testing by the South Carolina State Department of Agriculture and Salmonella was identified through testing by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. WGS has shown that the Salmonella in dog food is closely related to bacteria from sick people. This means that people have likely gotten sick by handling this dog food, handling things like dog bowls that contain this dog food, or touching feces or saliva from dogs that have been fed the dog food. this. There were no remaining Victor brand products from sick homes available for testing Salmonella.
WGS analysis of bacteria from seven human samples and one pet food sample did not predict resistance to any antibiotics. More information is available at the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) site.
Public Health Actions
On September 3, a lot of Victor brand Hi-Pro Plus dog food was recalled.
On October 30, three lots of Victor Super Premium Dog Food, Select Beef Meal and Brown Rice Formula were recalled.
On November 9, Mid America Pet Food was recalled all the pet food brands they make.
The CDC advises pet owners to dispose of any recalled pet food. CDC also advises businesses not to sell, use, or donate recalled pet food.
