Minnesota health officials are investigating a salmonella outbreak linked to Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurants in the state. A link to fresh produce is suspected, authorities said Thursday.
The Minnesota Department of Health said 45 cases of salmonella Newport infection had been reported since Sept. 2. The agency interviewed 34 people, and 32 had dined at one of 17 Chipotle locations. Five people were hospitalized.
The department said the transmission period had likely ended for this produce-linked salmonella outbreak. Minnesota was also included in a separate 30-state salmonella outbreak, which involved the strain salmonella Poona. That outbreak has been traced to cucumbers imported from Mexico.
Health department investigators and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture were working this week to identify the specific food source of the outbreak.
“In the meantime, Chipotle has changed the source of the suspect produce item under investigation,” the department said in a statement, adding that Chipotle took “every appropriate measure to ensure that it is safe to eat in its restaurants.”
Dana Eikmeier, an epidemiologist for the foodborne diseases unit of the Minnesota Health Department, praised the steps the restaurant chain had taken.
“Chipotle has been extremely proactive in collaborating with investigators to quickly control the outbreak and identify its source,” Eikmeier said.
The health department said most of the affected restaurant locations were in the Twin Cities metro area, with one in St. Cloud and one in Rochester. People who fell ill ate Chipotle meals from Aug. 16 to Aug. 26, and reported becoming sick between Aug. 20 and Aug. 29.
Symptoms of salmonella infection include diarrhea, abdominal pain and fever. Those usually begin within 12 to 72 hours after exposure, but they can begin up to a week after exposure.
People identified in the Minnesota Chipotle cases ranged in age from 15 to 67 years, and 56 percent were male, the health department said, estimating that Chipotle served more than 560,000 customers in Minnesota during the Aug. 16-26 period.
The Chipotle locations involved so far in the salmonella investigation include units in Bloomington, Calhoun, Crystal, Hopkins, Maple Grove, Maplewood, Minnetonka, Richfield, Ridgedale, Rochester, 7 Corners (Minneapolis), Shoreview, St. Cloud, St. Louis Park, St. Paul Lawson, Uptown and U.S. Bank Plaza (Minneapolis).
The department said other locations in Minnesota could have been affected as well.
The health department said Minnesota reports about 700 cases of salmonella each year.
Contact Ron Ruggless at [email protected].
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