In one of the more unusual stories concerning food-borne illness, the New York Times this week highlighted a new recall of frozen mice—that’s right, mice—that have sickened approximately four hundred people.  The company, Mice Direct, sells frozen mice to owners of pets that eat small rodents (snakes, for instance.)

According to the article, the contaminated mice can carry salmonella, which can then be passed on to reptilian pets.  The snakes, lizards and turtles can then pass the bacteria on to their owners.

Alternatively, the article suggests that handling the frozen reptile feed can also give pet owners salmonella poisoning.  One scenario that the article highlights is contamination of home microwaves used to thaw the mice.  Salmonella then spreads to other microwaved foods.

While this story is unusual to say the least, it highlights the importance of proper sanitary procedures when handling raw meat (even rodent meat!)  The CDC recommends keeping raw meats separate from other foods, along with thorough cleaning of hands, utensils, counter tops, and cutting boards to ensure that any salmonella bacteria is killed before it has a chance to infect humans.

Public health officials in Cook County, Illinois have closed kitchen facilities at a country club after dozens were sickened by salmonella bacteria.  According to media reports, the Cook County Department of Public Health is investigating at least 79 confirmed and potential cases related to the outbreak at the Skokie Country Club in Glencoe, Illinois.

The outbreak is believed to have started on June 12^th, and at least eight individuals have since been hospitalized.  The Department of Public Health began its investigation on June 24^th, at which point the country club shut down its kitchen.  While health officials have said that the hospitalizations have all been linked to the Skokie Country Club, the contaminated food source is still unknown.

Salmonella poisoning is caused by salmonella bacteria, and, according to the CDC, most infected individuals develop diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps within 12 to 72 hours of infection.  The illness often lasts for 4 to 7 days, and in severe cases the infection can spread to other parts of the body, causing death in some cases.  Patients hospitalized with severe salmonella poisoning are often treated only with an increase in fluid intake, but in cases where the disease has spread past the intestines, antibiotics are generally required.

If you visited the Skokie Country Club between June 12^th and June 24^th, and have experienced any of the above symptoms, you can call the Cook County Department of Public Health disease reporting hotline at (708) 492-2150.

There is no vaccination against salmonella poisoning, and the best method of preventing the illness is sanitary food preparation.  The CDC recommends avoiding raw eggs and unpasteurized dairy products, regularly washing hands, and ensuring that meats are fully cooked.  The agency also advises individuals and restaurants to keep raw meat separate from other foods to avoid cross-contamination of foods.

Daniele may have initiated its massive recall of 1.24 million pounds of salami too late. As word of the recall reached the public last week, many people sickened by salmonella are now able to identify the source of the dangerous bacteria. According to KGW of Portland, Oregon, the contamination of Daniele’s salami has resulted in 184 cases of salmonella poisoning nationwide. The retailer where the contaminated salami was most often purchased is Costco. Due to salami’s long shelf life, the contaminated products have been present in food retail stores across the country for many months. The first cases of salmonellosis occurred in the summer of 2009. The contamination hadn’t been discovered until a few weeks ago during the investigation of another salmonella outbreak. The strain of salmonella discovered in the sample of Daniele salami was found to be different than the strain for which officials were initially testing. Once the new strain of salmonella was discovered, investigators immediately contacted Daniele and began a nationwide recall of all salami products. The source of the bacteria is still under investigation; however, officials believe it to be the ground black pepper used to season the salami products and not the salami meat itself. Daniele spokesman Jason Maloni told the Associated Press, “there’s no evidence that points to us” as the source of the bacteria. Two of the three Daniele plants have been tested and are free of salmonella. All recalled salami products contain a USDA inspection label with the establishment numbers “EST. 9992” and “EST. 54.” Purchasers of salami with the aforementioned establishment numbers are being instructed to return the product for a full refund. Contact a health provider immediately if you or a loved one have consumed this product. Daniele Foods has set up a hot line for consumers or distributors at (888) 345-4160.

A Rhode Island company is recalling 1,240,000 pounds of its ready to eat products due to a risk of salmonella.  The recall pertains to Daniele’s varieties of ready-to-eat (RTE) Italian sausage products; specifically its salame/salami products that have been prepared with black pepper. The United State’s Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) first became aware of the salmonella contamination during its investigation of another multi-state outbreak of salmonella, the Salmonella serotype Montevideo illnesses. While testing a sample retail product as part of its investigation into the source of the Montevideo illnesses, the FSIS found that the sample Daniele RTE product contained salmonella. While the two salmonella strains were found to be similar, they are not the same strain and, therefore, not part of the same salmonella outbreak. Upon the discovery of the salmonella contamination, the FSIS contacted the company, which decided on a voluntary recall of all products at risk. The FSIS announced the recall and identified it as a Class I Recall with a high health risk. Currently, the source is yet to be identified for both outbreaks, but Daniele believes that the black pepper is to blame for the contamination of Daniele salamis. According to the press release, Daniele is cooperating with FSIS in the investigation and hopes to identify the source of the contamination soon. All recalled packages contain an establishment number “EST. 9992” or “EST. 54” inside the USDA mark of inspection. Ingesting food contaminated with Salmonella can cause salmonellosis. Salmonellosis can be a life-threatening infection, especially to young, elderly, and immunocompromised individuals. The most common symptoms of salmonellosis are diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever within eight to 72 hours after ingestion. If you believe you have been sickened by Salmonella, make sure to save any remnants of the suspected foods and contact a health care provider immediately. The full recall list is as follows:

• 10-ounce packages of “DANIELE NATURALE SALAME COATED WITH COARSE BLACK PEPPER.”
• Catch weight packages of “DANIELE PEPPER SALAME.”
• 9-ounce packages of “BLACK BEAR OF THE BLACK FOREST BABY GENOA PEPPER SALAME.”
• 20-ounce packages of “DANIELE DELI SELECTION, GENOA SALAME, SMOKED SALAME, PEPPERED SALAME, RUSTIC SALAME.”
• 340- and 454-gram packages of “DANIELE SURTIDO FINO ITALIANO, SALAMI GENOA CON PIMIENTA, LOMO CAPOCOLLO, SALAMI CALABRESE.”
• 16-ounce packages of “DANIELE ITALIAN BRAND GOURMET PACK, HOT CALABRESE, PEPPER SALAME, HOT CAPOCOLLO.”
• 8-ounce packages of “DIETZ & WATSON ARTISAN COLLECTION PARTY PLATTER PACK, HOT CALABRESE, PEPPER SALAME, HOT CAPOCOLLO.”
• 8-ounce packages of “DANIELE ITALIAN BRAND GOURMET PACK, HOT CALABRESE, PEPPER SALAME, HOT CAPOCOLLO.”
• 16-ounce packages of “DANIELE GOURMET COMBO PACK, PEPPER SALAME, CAPOCOLLO, CALABRESE.”
• 500-gram packages of “DANIELE ITALIAN BRAND GOURMET PACK EMBALLAGE ASSORTI GOURMET ITALIEN, HOT CALABRESE, PEPPER SALAME, CALABRESE PIQUANT, SALAMI AU POIVRE, HOT CAPOCOLLO, CAPOCOLLO PIQUANT.”
• 8-ounce packages of “BOAR’S HEAD BRAND ALL NATURAL SALAME COATED WITH COARSE BLACK PEPPER.”
• Catch weight packages of “DIETZ & WATSON ARTISAN COLLECTION, BABY GENOA PEPPER SALAME, MADE WITH 100% PORK COATED WITH BLACK PEPPER AND PORK FAT.”
• 20-ounce variety packages of “DANIELE DELI SELECTION, GENOA SALAME, SWEET SOPRESSATA, PEPPERED GENOA, MILANO SALAME.”
• 21-ounce variety packages of “DANIELE GOURMET ITALIAN DELI SELECTION, SWEET SOPRESSATA SALAMI, PEPPERED GENOA SALAMI, HOT SOPRESSATA SALAMI, MILANO SALAMI, SALAMI SOPRESSATA DOUX, SALAMI GENOA POIVRÉ, SALAMI SOPRESSATA PIQUANT, SALAMI MILANO.”
• 7-ounce packages of “DANIELE SALAME BITES PEPPER SALAME.”
• 14-ounce packages of “DANIELE GOURMET ITALIAN DELI SELECTION ASSORTMENT DE FINES CHARCUTERIE ITALIENNE, SWEET SOPRESSATA SALAMI, MILANO SALAMI, SALAMI SOPRESSATA DOUX, SALAMI MILANO.”
• Catch weight packages of “DANIELE NATURALE SALAME COATED WITH COARSE BLACK PEPPER.”
• 32-ounce variety packages of “DANIELE DELI SELECTION, GENOA SALAME, SWEET SOPRESSATA, PEPPERED GENOA, MILANO SALAME.”