Salmonella Cubana Now In British Columbia

August 24, 2009

Salmonella Cubana, which has infected seven Albertans and five Ontario residents, also has infected one person in British Columbia, according to a report released earlier today by the BC Center for Disease Control.

All 13 cases of salmonellosis have been linked tentatively to Sprouts Alive brand onion sprout products, which were produced in Alberta by Living Foods Ltd. and in Ontario by Sunsprout Natural Foods. While the presence of Salmonella in the sprouts has been confirmed, the Canadian government has not yet announced whether or not the strain that they found is a genetic match for the Salmonella Cubana outbreak strain isolated from the 13 victims.

Sprouts Alive onion sprout products were recalled by Living Foods and Sunsprout Natural Foods earlier this month due to Salmonella contamination. A contaminated batch of seeds that was supplied to both sprout processors is being blamed for the Salmonella-contaminated batches of onion sprouts.

There has been no indication of where the contaminated onion seeds originated, where they were distributed, or whether their distribution was limited to Canada.