This news item expired on Thursday, May 31, 2012 so the information below could be outdated or incorrect.
Today Buncombe County Department of Health received final test results from the NC Department of Public Health laboratory confirming that the unopened bag of culture that was added to the tempeh tested positive for the matching strain of Salmonella Paratyphi B linked to the current disease outbreak.
Today Buncombe County Department of Health received additional test results from the NC Department of Public Health laboratory confirming that the bacteria found in the tempeh is a match to the Salmonella Paratyphi B that is making people sick in the current disease outbreak.
BC Department of Health has just received positive news related to the Salmonella outbreak. Based on continuing testing of laboratory results following CDC recommendations, lab test results today confirmed that the bacteria associated with the Buncombe Salmonella outbreak is Salmonella Paratyphi B but the good news is that it is a particular strain that causes symptoms that are less severe and doesn’t require control measures that are quite as strict.
As of May 2, BC Department of Health reports 38 cases of Salmonella Paratyhpi B infection with numbers likely to continue rising. At this point in the outbreak, communicable disease investigations indicate that person-to-person transmission is becoming more prominent as we approach the next wave of the outbreak. We are beginning to see more cases that are spread by someone who has the illness rather than from a food source.
As of May 1, BC Department of Health reports 37 cases of Salmonella Paratyhpi B infection and continues to test and investigate people coming forward with symptoms of salmonella infection, some who ate tempeh and others who did not eat tempeh. The case interviews indicate that the disease transmission is linked to the outbreak in one of three ways: those who have eaten tempeh, those who have connections to others who have been ill with Salmonella Paratyphi b (person-to-person) and others that are under further investigation to determine if there are other sources of contamination associated with the outbreak.
RALEIGH – Smiling Hara of Asheville is voluntarily recalling 12-ounce packages of unpasteurized soybean tempeh because of possible contamination with salmonella. The company is recalling tempeh manufactured this year between Jan. 11 and April 11. The containers are marked with a best-by date of 7/11/12 through 10/25/12. Tempeh is used as a meat substitute in vegetarian cuisine.
The BC Department of Health reports that 5 more cases of Salmonella Paratyphi B were identified over the weekend, bringing the total to 34, as of Monday, April 30, 2012.
The BC Department of Health is currently investigating an outbreak of Salmonella Paratyphi B infection in Buncombe County. Communicable Disease Nurses and Environmental Health Specialists are conducting interviews with people who currently have or have had the infection, reviewing laboratory reports and inspecting food sources that may be linked to the outbreak