Outbreak Investigation Updates by Date
Final Update
Posted January 14, 2019 at 12:30 PM ET
This outbreak appears to be over. Check the FDA website for a list of recalled cake mixExternal. In general, CDC advises against eating any raw dough or batter, whether homemade or from a mix. Raw batter can contain germs that could make you sick.
November 7, 2018
CDC, public health and regulatory officials in several states, and the U.S. Food and Drug AdministrationExternal are investigating a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Agbeni infections.
On November 5, 2018, ConAgra Brands recalledExternal four varieties of Duncan Hines cake mix after health officials in Oregon identified Salmonella Agbeni in a box of Duncan Hines Classic White Cake Mix. CDC reviewed the PulseNet database and identified five infections with the same strain of Salmonella Agbeni reported from three states. PulseNet is the national subtyping network of public health and food regulatory agency laboratories coordinated by CDC. Whole genome sequencing (DNA fingerprinting) performed on Salmonella bacteria from ill people in this outbreak showed that the bacteria are closely related genetically. This means that the ill people are more likely to share a common source of infection. Illnesses started on dates from June 13, 2018, to September 17, 2018. Ill people range in age from 26 to 72 years, with a median age of 30. Sixty percent are female. No hospitalizations or deaths have been reported.
In interviews, ill people answered questions about the foods they ate and other exposures in the week before they became ill. Two ill people reported eating cake in the week before their illness began and one reported eating raw cake mix, but brand information was not available. CDC is working with state health departments and FDA to determine if these ill people ate cake or raw cake mix produced by Duncan Hines.
Antibiotic resistance testing by CDC’s National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System laboratory is currently underway.