Salmonella sickens 96, traced to cut fruit from New Jersey facility
As of Dec. 30, 2019, a total of 96 people infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Javiana have been reported from 11 states.
Illnesses were reported from states where Tailor Cut Produce distributes, including Pennsylvania, New York City, New Jersey and Delaware. Ill people from other states reported traveling to these states in the week before their illness started. A list of the states and the number of cases in each can be found on the Map of Reported Cases page.
Illnesses started on dates ranging from Nov. 15, 2019, to Dec. 10, 2019. Ill people range in age from less than 1 to 92 years, with a median age of 27 years. Fifty-one percent of ill people are male. Of 41 ill people with information available, 27 were hospitalized for their salmonella infection. No deaths have been reported.
Illnesses might not yet be reported due to the time it takes between a person becoming ill and when the illness is reported. This takes an average of three to four weeks.
WGS analysis did not identify antibiotic resistance in bacteria isolated from 14 ill people. Testing of outbreak isolates using standard antibiotic susceptibility testing methods by CDC’s National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) laboratory is underway.
Investigation of the Outbreak
Epidemiologic and traceback evidence indicate that cut fruit including honeydew melon, cantaloupe, pineapple and grapes produced by Tailor Cut Produce of North Brunswick, New Jersey, is a likely source of this outbreak.
State and local public health officials have interviewed ill people to determine what they ate and other exposures in the week before their illness started. Thirty (86%) of 35 ill people reported eating cut fruit served in long-term care facilities, hospitals, hotels, schools or at a university.
State health officials collected records from the locations where ill people ate the fruit mix and determined that these facilities served Tailor Cut Produce Luau Mix as well as cut honeydew melon, cantaloupe, pineapple, and grapes.
The investigation is ongoing to determine the source of contamination. CDC will provide updates when more information becomes available.
