Outbreak linked to alfalfa sprouts; people sickened with E. coli and Salmonella

A CDC food safety alert regarding a multistate outbreak linked to alfalfa sprouts has been posted at https://www.cdc.gov/ecoli/outbreaks/alfalfa-sprouts-08-26/index.html.

Key Points:

• 55 people across 15 states have gotten sick with either Salmonella or coli. 2 people had both E. coli and Salmonella. These illnesses have all been linked to alfalfa sprouts.
• Four people have been hospitalized, and no deaths have been reported.
• Affected products include alfalfa sprouts grown by Everything Sprouts and sold under the Calco and Everything Sprouts brands at retailers and grocery stores.
• CDC has occasionally investigated multi-pathogen multistate outbreaks. One example was a 2019 multi-pathogen gastrointestinal illness outbreak linked to oysters.

What You Should Do

• Do not eat any affected alfalfa sprouts. Throw them away or return them.
• Wash items and surfaces that may have touched the affected alfalfa sprouts using hot soapy water or a dishwasher.

What Businesses Should Do

• Do not sell or serve affected alfalfa sprouts.
• Wash and sanitize items and surfaces that may have come in contact with affected alfalfa sprouts.

Symptoms of E. coli

• Most people infected with Shiga toxin-producing coliexperience severe stomach cramps, diarrhea (often bloody), and vomiting.
  • Symptoms usually start 3 to 4 days after swallowing the bacteria.
  • Most people recover without treatment after 5 to 7 days.
• Some people may develop serious kidney problems (hemolytic uremic syndrome, also called HUS) and would need to be hospitalized.
• For more information about coli, see the About Escherichia coli Infection page.

Symptoms of Salmonella

• Most people infected with Salmonella experience diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps.
  • Symptoms usually start 6 hours to 6 days after swallowing the bacteria.
  • Most people recover without treatment after 4 to 7 days.
• Some people-especially children younger than 5, adults 65 and older, and people with weakened immune systems-may experience more severe illnesses that require medical treatment or hospitalization.
• For more information about Salmonella, see the About Salmonella Infection page.

If you have questions about cases in a particular state, please call that state's health department.

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Thank you,
CDC Media Relations