RECALL: CDC confirms 14 human Salmonella cases linked to dry dog food

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 14 people in the US have been sickened with Salmonella infantis infections, including at least five that are hospitalized, in a nine-state outbreak linked to dry dog food.


The CDC reported that multiple brands of Diamond Pet Foods dry dog food, including several that have been recently recalled, are likely to blame for the human illnesses, which could be transmitted either through contact with the contaminated petfood or through handling an animal that has eaten the contaminated dog food. 


According to the CDC, routine tests by the Michigan, USA, Department of Agriculture and Rural Development first detected Salmonella in an unopened bag of Diamond Pet Foods Naturals Lamb Meal & Rice dry dog food on April 2, though the company has since expanded the recall to include other formulas produced at the same South Carolina manufacturing plant.


PulseNet, the national surveillance system for foodborne illnesses, then identified several cases of human Salmonella infantis infections with a genetic fingerprint identical to that found in the dog food, the CDC reported. The number of confirmed human cases of Salmonella in each USA state are: three cases in Missouri, three cases in North Carolina, two cases in Ohio, and one case each in Alabama, Connecticut, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia. Of outbeak victims interviewed, 7 of 10 said they had contact with a dog during the week before they became ill and four out of five people who could remember the type of dog food they had handled said it was a Diamond Pet Foods brand, CDC says.


Consumers should discard any recalled product immediately. Consumers with questions should contact Diamond Pet Foods at +1.800.442.0402.