Iowa Hygienic Laboratory Confirmed The Presence of Salmonella In Peanut Butter. The University of Iowa Hygienic Laboratory has confirmed the presence of salmonella in a jar of Great Value peanut butter that made an Iowan sick.
More than 329 people in 41 states, including six people in Iowa, have been sickened by a strain of salmonella known as Salmonella enterica serotype Tennessee.
Initial tests determined these people were suffering from the same strain of the illness, with peanut butter as the suspected culprit.
The U of I Hygienic Labatory issued a report Thursday providing DNA proof to link the cases to the Great Value brand, the university reported.
Following numerous reports of salmonella that occurred as early as August, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration advised consumers not to eat any Peter Pan peanut butter purchased since May 2006, and not to eat any Great Value peanut butter with the product code beginning with “2111” that was purchased since May 2006.
Brands Are Manufactured At Same ConAgra Foods Inc. Plant
Both brands are manufactured at the same ConAgra Foods Inc. plant.
“The isolation of salmonella from the open jar of peanut butter is extremely useful to the epidemiologists in their investigation of this outbreak,” said Mike Pentella, interim associate director of infectious disease programs at the U of I lab.
Salmonella is a bacterium that causes foodborne illness with symptoms including diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramping. At least 46 patients have been hospitalized from this outbreak.
No deaths have been confirmed.
Consumers can find additional information about this case of salmonella online at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site, www.cdc.gov or by calling the CDC information line toll free at 800-232-4636.
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