So, how many people have Salmonella Senftenberg linked to Jif Peanut Butter?

My email and phone have been a bit busy this weekend with people reaching out who have received notice of the Jif peanut butter recall.  Some have opened and unopened jars, some are presently ill or they and family have been sick over the last several weeks. Most have suffered without seeking medical treatment, and those that have received treatment have not received a stool culture to determine if the illness is caused by Salmonella,  specifically, Salmonella Senftenberg.

Late Friday as I boarded a plane from New Orleans to Seattle, the FDA announced that it and the CDC’s review of epidemiological information indicated that five out of five people reported consuming peanut butter and four of the five people specifically reported consuming different varieties of Jif brand peanut butter prior to becoming ill with Salmonella Senftenberg.  There has been a recall in both the United States and Canada thus far.

Interestingly, the FDA also reported that it had conducted (presumably recently) Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) analysis on an environmental sample collected at the Lexington, KY, J.M. Smucker Company facility in 2010 and found Salmonella Senftenberg.

Total Illnesses of Salmonella Senftenberg that are a WGS match to each other and the 2010 environmental sample, thus far are 14 with 2 hospitalizations in the following states: Arkansas (1), Georgia (2), Illinois (1), Massachusetts (1), Missouri (1), Ohio (1), North Carolina (1), New York (1), South Carolina (1), Texas (2), Texas (1), and Washington (1). Last Illness Onset: May 1, 2022.

Interesting fact, according to the CDC, for every one person who is a stool-culture confirmed positive victim of Salmonella in the United States, there a multiple of 38.5 who are also sick, but remain uncounted. (See, AC Voetsch, “FoodNet estimate of the burden of illness caused by nontyphoidal Salmonella infections in the United States,” Clinical Infectious Diseases 2004; 38 (Suppl 3): S127-34).

Republished with permission from Bill Marler and Marler Clark. Copyright (c) Marler Clark LLP, PS. All rights reserved.