The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) issued its final report on the Salmonella Heidelberg outbreak caused by Cargill ground turkey products. Cargill recalled over 36 million pounds of ground turkey products in August of 2011. Product from the Springdale, Arkansas plant was linked to a Salmonella Heidelberg outbreak earlier this year in which 136 persons were infected. Cases were reported from 34 states, and one person in California is known to have died as a result of the infection. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) analysis of patient isolates exhibited two very closely-related PFGE patterns. This outbreak strain of Salmonella Heidelberg is resistant to many commonly prescribed antibiotics, which can increase the risk of hospitalization or possible treatment failure in infected individuals. Investigators report that 39% of cases in this outbreak were hospitalized.

The Springdale, Arkansas plant had been closed for two weeks for evaluation and cleaning following a first recall, and resumed production on August 18 after the company had upgraded several elements of its food safety program at the plant. During routine follow-up testing, S. Heidelberg was again isolated from ground turkey which prompted a second recall on August 30. The CDC's final report is available at: http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/heidelberg/index.html