Tag Archives: Salmonella Infection
Hospitality Industry Legal Risks: North Carolina Hotel And Restaurant Sued By Woman “Sickened By Salmonella Infection”; Lawsuit Claims Failure To Maintain Sanitary Conditions Of Food
“…(the plaintiff), who claims to have become ill after eating at the hotel restaurant, filed a lawsuit in the Cumberland County Superior Court 
alleging the hotel owners served food that was ‘not fit for human consumption’…she also alleges that the defendant failed to ‘maintain and monitor the sanitary conditions of it’s food, drink, water, premises and employees’…”
A Fayetteville woman is seeking in excess of $10,000 in damages after she claims she became sick after eating at a restaurant at a Holiday Inn. Last week the Cumberland County Department of Public Health alerted the public of a possible salmonella outbreak after dozens of people claimed to have gotten sick after eating at the Holiday Inn Fayetteville – Bordeaux.
The Cumberland County Department of Public Health says at least 70 people have reported signs or symptoms consistent with salmonella infections and five people were hospitalized. Twelve of those who reported symptoms are out of state. All of the people appear to have eaten at the All American Sports Bar and Grill and The Café Bordeaux within the hotel.
Health officials are worried that the outbreak could spread nationwide because the hotel is alongside Interstate 95.
Hospitality Industry Health Risks: Nevada Restaurant Sued After “Salmonella Food Poisoning” Outbreak; “Inadequate Hand Washing, Handling Of Food With Bare Hands, Improper Food Storage” Violations Found
“…health inspectors were sent to the restaurant to investigate…they found multiple violations including: employees handling ready-to-eat food with bare hands, inadequate hand washing by foodhandlers; inadequate or missing cooling and heating logs for food; raw ground beef stored over cooked chicken and raw seafood; fruit flies and small moths in the cooking area; and broken cooking thermometers and foods not being held at proper temperatures…”
A Pennsylvania woman has filed a lawsuit against the Firefly on Paradise, a Las Vegas restaurant. She is seeking compensation for allegedly contracting Salmonella food poisoning from the restaurant. She is being represented by Fred Pritzker, Brendan Flaherty and Ryan Osterholm, who are also representing several other people allegedly sickened in the outbreak. Pritzker, Flaherty and Osterholm are part of PritzkerOlsen law firm’s Bad Bug Law Team.
The firm’s client is one of the 89 people sickened in a Salmonella outbreak associated with the Firefly. She and her husband were visiting Las Vegas in late April. On April 24, they ate dinner at Firefly on Paradise. Two days later, she developed symptoms that included nausea, fever, abdominal cramps and bloody diarrhea. She is still receiving medical treatment.
According to the complaint, those foods include but are not limited to: pork, calamari, garlic in oil, potatoes, tortilla empanada, lettuce, shrimp, mussels, claims, chicken and fish. The restaurant has been closed during the outbreak investigation to reduce the risk to public health.
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Hospitality Industry Health Risks: Illinois Restaurant Connected To "Salmonella Contamination Through Human Transmission" Closed Down; Employees Must Be Cleared To Work
“…the (restaurant) was found to have a suspected connection to the salmonella cases…the health department 
discussed the situation with the franchise ownership, at which time they chose to voluntarily close in an abundance of caution…the link does not seem to be a certain food, but rather human transmission…”
discussed the situation with the franchise ownership, at which time they chose to voluntarily close in an abundance of caution…the link does not seem to be a certain food, but rather human transmission…”A McDonald’s eatery in Bloomington, Ill. in McLean County was shuttered before the Thanksgiving weekend as investigators look into a suspected case of salmonella contamination. It remains closed.
Pantagraph.com writes that a range of confirmed salmonella cases were reported at several different restaurants in Central Illinois between October 18 and November 11, and “substantial information connecting the [McDonald’s] to the cluster of salmonella cases was discovered last week.” Investigators believe the sickenings were a result of human transmission rather than a specific food item.
Every employee at the McDonald’s is being tested and the restaurant will not reopen until enough staff have been cleared to work.
“People that are sick, they know they’re sick,” Simon said. “They’ve been sick for a period of time.” For about a week, these individuals have been suffering from particularly nasty cases of Salmonella Stanley, a rare strain that Food Safety News writes is rare outside of Southeast Asia and usually appears only in people who have traveled there.
For more:Â http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/27/mcdonalds-bloomington-salmonella_n_2197920.html
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Hospitality Industry Health Risks: Washington Restaurant Closed Down By Health Department After Confirmation Of Salmonella Poisoning
“…(the Health Department) closed the restaurant this morning as a further precaution to reduce the risk of Salmonella spreading to others. Our staff is interviewing employees and patrons to learn more about the possible source of this outbreak, such as a contaminated food source.â€
The Clark County Public Health Department is closing the On the Border Mexican restaurant in Vancouver, Washington after an outbreak of Salmonellaamong patrons. The restaurant is located at 1505 SE 164th Avenue. So far, there are 11 confirmed cases and 5 probable cases associated with this outbreak. Public health officials are asking that anyone who ate at the restaurant between September 20 and October 8, 2012 and experiencing symptoms of salmonellosis contact a health care provider.
The symptoms of Salmonella food poisoning include diarrhea, which may be bloody, fever, chills, abdominal cramps, and vomiting. People usually become ill one to three days after infection. Attorney Elliot Olsen said, “facilities that sell food are supposed to ensure that their product is safe. Food contaminated with pathogenic bacteria is not fit to eat.â€
Since Salmonella infections can spread person-to-person, government officials are stressing the need for thorough hand-washing after using the bathroom, and before and during food preparation. Anyone who is ill should stay home and not prepare food until their symptoms have disappeared.
For more:Â http://foodpoisoningbulletin.com/2012/vancouver-wa-mexican-restaurant-on-the-border-closed-after-salmonella-outbreak/
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Hospitality Industry Health Risks: Two Wisconsin Women File "Salmonella Sushi Lawsuit" After Eating Sushi Rolls At Local Restaurant; Any Party In "Chain Of Distribution" Potentially Liable Under Product Liability Laws
Food-poisoning cases like the Salmonella sushi lawsuit generally fall under product liability laws. Any party in the product’s chain of distribution — including manufacturers, retailers, and middlemen — can potentially be held liable, depending on the source of contamination.
“…distributors may have removed the packaging before selling it to restaurants, which may not know they’re serving a potentially contaminated product, the Wisconsin victims’ lawyer told MSNBC…”
In a Salmonella sushi lawsuit filed last week, two Wisconsin women, 22 and 33, claim they were severely sickened after eating tuna sushi rolls at a local restaurant, MSNBC reports. The sushi rolls allegedly contained ground yellowfin tuna with Nakaochi Scrape.
California-based Moon Marine USA has recalled 59,000 pounds of raw, ground yellowfin tuna from India, which was packaged as “Nakaochi Scrape AA” or “AAA.”
But distributors may have removed the packaging before selling it to restaurants, which may not know they’re serving a potentially contaminated product, the Wisconsin victims’ lawyer told MSNBC.
Salmonella infections generally lead to diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps within 72 hours, according to the FDA. Victims usually recover after about a week.
But the Wisconsin women’s infections were more severe, and required hospital treatment. One woman was diagnosed with an ulcerated colon, which her personal-injury lawsuit blames on contaminated Nakaochi Scrape.
Scientific tests show the Salmonella sushi victims were sickened by a rare type of bacteria called Salmonella Bareilly, the women’s lawyer said. Investigations are underway to determine where bacteria came from.
For more:Â http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/25/tagblogsfindlawcom2012-injured-idUS319130664220120425
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Hospitality Industry Health Risks: Oklahoma Restaurant Chain Faces Multiple Lawsuits After "Salmonella Outbreak"; 68 People Confirmed Infected By Centers For Disease Control (CDC)
 “..(the Plaintiff)..sued the restaurant in February, claiming that she was sick for two weeks after eating at Taco Bell. She’s seeking more than $75,000 in damages…”
The Centers for Disease Control said that 68 people — including 16 in Oklahoma — were infected with salmonella after eating at a “Mexican-style fast-food restaurant chain.”
Taco Bell is facing a second lawsuit after a Shawnee family said their child contracted salmonella in Oklahoma. The family said their 9-year-old got sick from eating at the restaurant. The child spent three days in a hospital with a 105-degree fever, according to the lawsuit.
A lawsuit filed by a Norman woman who claimed she contracted salmonella after eating at Taco Bell was transferred to federal court.
In a court filing, Taco Bell denied it was liable for Smith’s illness. The company asked a federal judge to dismiss it from the lawsuit.
Read more: http://www.koco.com/health/30917551/detail.html#ixzz1t4R5gjdr
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Hospitality Industry Food Risks: Mexican Restaurant Chain Is Source Of "Salmonella" Outbreak; Food Contamination "Likely" Occurred Prior To Reaching Chain
Investigative efforts were unable to identify a specific food associated with illness, but data indicate that contamination likely occurred before the product reached Restaurant Chain A locations.
CDC collaborated with public health officials in multiple states and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to investigate a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis infections which was associated with eating food from a Mexican-style fast food restaurant chain, Restaurant Chain A. This outbreak now appears to be over.
Public health investigators used DNA “fingerprints” of Salmonella bacteria obtained through diagnostic testing with pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, or PFGE, to identify cases of illness that may be part of this outbreak. They used data from PulseNet, the national subtyping network made up of state and local public health laboratories and federal food regulatory laboratories that performs molecular surveillance of foodborne infections.
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Restaurant Food Safety: Oregon Restaurant Salmonella Poisoning Outbreak Highlights Risks Of Food Contamination And Need For Strict Food Preparation Safety Training
Salmonella, the most prevalent food borne pathogen in this country, is an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis, and arthritis.
Salmonella poisoning can also lead to Reiter’s Syndrome, a difficult-to-treat reactive arthritis characterized by severe joint pain, irritation of the eyes, and painful urination. Some Salmonella bacteria are antibiotic resistant, largely due to the use of antibiotics to promote the growth of feed animals.
“….76 million people each year come down with some form of food poisoning; hundreds of thousands are hospitalized and about 5,000 die…”
(From a NewsInferno.com article)  Dawnelle Marshall of the Public Health Division of the Douglas County Health Department said that the source of the outbreak remains unknown and that interviews continue with patrons of the restaurant who visited the establishment during the outbreak period in order to determine the outbreak’s timeline and origin, wrote KPIC.
“We’ve not been able to pinpoint the source, whether that is a food item, whether there is cross-contamination. We have not been able to do that, but we do have sampling that is pending, and those results should be in later this week,†said Marshall. Los Dos Amigos is cooperating in the investigation, added Marshall.
“They’re taking suggestions, they’re sharing information about how they process food, and what they do with foods. So until we know what that source is, it’s hard to evaluate what that potential cause can be,†said Marshall, quoted KPIC.
Marshall also said that some people have fallen very ill with dehydration that required intravenous fluids, reported KPIC.
Restaurant Food Safety: The Top 10 Foods That Carry Salmonella Infection-Causing Bacteria Include Leafy Greens, Eggs, Tuna, Oysters And Potatoes
LEAFY GREENS:Â 363 outbreaks involving 13,568 reported cases of illness
EGGS: 352 outbreaks involving 11,163 reported cases of illness
TUNA: 268 outbreaks involving 2341 reported cases of illness
OYSTERS: 132 outbreaks involving 3409 reported cases of illness
POTATOES: 108 outbreaks involving 3659 reported cases of illness
CHEESE: 83 outbreaks involving 2761 reported cases of illness
ICE CREAM: 74 outbreaks involving 2594 reported cases of illness
TOMATOES: 31 outbreaks involving 3292 reported cases of illness
SPROUTS: 31 outbreaks involving 2022 reported cases of illness
BERRIES: 25 outbreaks involving 3397 reported cases of illness
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Illnesses caused by these ten foods may be as minor as stomachcramps and diarrhea for a day or two, or as serious as kidney failure or death. Notably, pathogens most commonly associated with meat and poultry—such as been repeatedly linked to these food items.
In fact, Salmonella2 and E. coli O157:H73—also have Salmonella was identified as the cause in 33 percent of the outbreaks from the FDA Top Ten. Other pathogens causing the outbreaks associated with these foods include and Campylobacter, Scombrotoxin, Norovirus,Vibrio.4
