An Illinois family says recently recalled salami caused their infant son to become ill with Salmonella poisoning. They have filed a lawsuit against Daniele International of Rhode Island, the company that made the allegedly Salmonella-tainted salami. Over the weekend, Daniele International recalled 1.24 million pounds of ready-to-eat Italian sausage products because of concerns they were […]
An Illinois family says recently recalled <"https://www.yourlawyer.com/practice_areas/food_poisoning">salami caused their infant son to become ill with Salmonella poisoning. They have filed a lawsuit against Daniele International of Rhode Island, the company that made the allegedly Salmonella-tainted salami.
Over the weekend, Daniele International recalled 1.24 million pounds of ready-to-eat Italian sausage products because of concerns they were linked to a multi-state Salmonella outbreak. Yesterday, DNA fingerprinting conducted by the University of Iowa’s Hygienic Laboratory confirmed that Salmonella from a sample of leftover Daniele International sausage found in one victim’s home matched the same strain as the national outbreak. Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said 13 ill persons have been identified who purchased the same type of sliced salami variety pack manufactured by Daniele at different grocery store locations before becoming ill.
All of the products recalled over the weekend were made with black pepper, which Daniele believes may be the source of the Salmonella contamination. Salmonella has in the past been found in black pepper, white pepper, red pepper, and paprika. It’s also been found in other dry spices The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) said it is working closely with Daniele and other public health entities to determine if the black pepper is the possible source of contamination. To date there have been no reports of illness associated with black pepper found in other products in the U.S.
According to a lawsuit filed by Jason and Molly Keppler, they purchased salami made by Daniele International on New Year’s Eve. After Molly ate some of the salami, both she and their 3-month-old son became. His mother recovered quickly, but the infant was hospitalized for the a 104 fever and bloody diarrhea that persisted for several days. The child’s illness was confirmed to be Salmonella, and he is still recovering.
The Keppler’s lawsuit, which was filed in Cook County Circuit Court, is seeking unspecified damages.
Salmonella is one of the most common causes of food borne illness outbreaks. Salmonella infections can be life-threatening, especially to those with weak immune systems, such as infants, the elderly, and persons with HIV infection or undergoing chemotherapy. The most common manifestations of salmonellosis are diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever within eight to 72 hours. Additional symptoms may be chills, headache, nausea and vomiting that can last up to seven days.
According to the CDC, this Salmonella outbreak began in July, and has so far sickened more than 180 people in 40 states. Out of 134 cases with available information 37 have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.