May 24, 2019

CDC, public health and regulatory officials in several states, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administrationexternal icon investigated a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Carrau infections.

Public health investigators used the PulseNet system to identify illnesses that may have been part of this outbreak. PulseNet is the national subtyping network of public health and food regulatory agency laboratories coordinated by CDC. DNA fingerprinting is performed on Salmonella bacteria isolated from ill people by using techniques called pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and whole genome sequencing (WGS). CDC PulseNet manages a national database of these DNA fingerprints to identify possible outbreaks. WGS gives a more detailed DNA fingerprint than PFGE. WGS showed that isolates from ill people were closely relatedly genetically. This means that ill people in this outbreak were more likely to share a common source of infection.

As of May 24, 2019, 137 people infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Carrau were reported from 10 states. 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 March 3, 2019, to May 1, 2019. Ill people ranged in age from less than one to 98 years, with a median age of 53. Among ill people, 63% were female. Of 104 people with information available, 38 (37%) were hospitalized. No deaths were reported.

WGS analysis did not identify antibiotic resistance in 76 bacterial isolates from ill people. Testing of outbreak isolates using standard antibiotic susceptibility testing methods by CDC’s National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) laboratory is currently underway.

Investigation of the Outbreak

Epidemiologic and traceback evidence indicated that pre-cut melon supplied by Caito Foods LLC of Indianapolis, Ind., was the likely source of this multistate outbreak.

In interviews, ill people answered questions about the foods they ate and other exposures in the week before they became ill. Fifty-three (64%) of 83 people interviewed reported eating pre-cut melons purchased at grocery stores, including pre-cut cantaloupe, watermelon, honeydew, or a fruit salad mix or fruit tray with melon. Five additional people reported eating pre-cut melon outside the home.

Information collected from stores where ill people shopped indicated that Caito Foods LLC supplied pre-cut melon to these stores. On April 12, 2019, Caito Foods, Inc. recalledexternal icon pre-cut watermelon, honeydew melon, cantaloupe, and pre-cut fruit medley products containing one of these melons produced at the Caito Foods LLC facility in Indianapolis, Ind.

As of May 24, 2019, this outbreak appears to be over.