Salmonella link with yellowfin tuna: mass recall follows

By Dr. Ananya Mandal, MDApr 16 2012

A yellowfin tuna product used to make dishes like sushi, ceviche and sashimi sold at restaurants and grocery stores has been connected with with an outbreak of salmonella that has sickened more than 100 people in 20 states and the District of Columbia, federal health authorities announced last Friday.

The Food and Drug Administration said 116 illnesses have been reported, including 12 people who have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.

Following the reports the Moon Marine USA Corp. of Cupertino, Calif., also known as MMI, is voluntarily recalling 58,828 pounds of frozen raw yellowfin tuna. It was labelled as Nakaochi Scrape AA or AAA when it was sold to grocery stores and restaurants and is scraped off the fish bones and looks like a ground product. The product is not available for sale to individual consumers.

Reports of the foodborne illness caused by Salmonella bareilly have mainly come from the Eastern Seaboard and South, though cases have been reported as far west as Missouri and Texas. Till Friday the affected states and districts included Alabama (2), Arkansas (1), Connecticut (5), District of Columbia (2), Florida (1), As Georgia (5), Illinois (10), Louisiana (2), Maryland (11), Massachusetts (8), Mississippi (1), Missouri (2), New Jersey (7), New York (24), North Carolina (2), Pennsylvania (5), Rhode Island (5), South Carolina (3), Texas (3), Virginia (5), and Wisconsin (12).

The FDA announcement says that there is a a 30-day lag time between when people become sick and when cases are reported to health officials. The raw yellowfin tuna product may have passed through several distributors before reaching the restaurant and grocery market and may not be clearly labelled. Previous outbreaks of Salmonella bareilly have been linked to bean sprouts, which are grown in warm, damp conditions.

The most common symptoms of salmonella are diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever within eight to 72 hours of eating the contaminated food. The illness can be severe or even life-threatening for infants, older people, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems. The FDA recommended that people be cautious about eating raw seafood, inquire about the source and “when in doubt, don't eat it.”

The FDA added, “The FDA is working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state and local partners to investigate the outbreak. The FDA is working closely with MMI to identify the implicated product and assist with its removal from the market.”