Timeline PDF version Cdc-pdf[PDF – 1 page]
Outbreak Identification, Source Implication, Trackback and Regulatory Activities, and Results of Product Testing
March 1, 2012: NY State Department of Health notified CDC’s Outbreak Response Team (ORT) of a cluster of 4 ill persons infected with Salmonella Bareilly with the same unusual pulsed-field gel electrophoresis pattern.
March 2, 2012: PulseNet shows 11 persons in 7 states with the same pattern. CDC began coordinating a multistate investigation and held first multistate conference call.
March 8, 2012: Exposure information from 8 ill persons revealed that 7 reported eating seafood and 5 ate sushi in the week before becoming ill. TX Department of State Health Services reported first cluster of 2 unrelated ill persons who ate at the same Japanese steakhouse which serves sushi.
March 13, 2012: WI Department of Health Services (WDHS) reported a second cluster of unrelated ill persons eating at the same Japanese restaurant.
March 15, 2012: FDA began receiving supplier and invoice data collected by state and local departments of health and agriculture.
March 16, 2012: Preliminary information from 22 ill persons revealed that in the week before illness 80% reported eating seafood and 55% reported eating sushi. Among 8 ill persons who reported the type of sushi, all reported eating tuna. WDHS reported a third cluster of unrelated ill persons who ate sushi purchased from the same grocery store.
March 22, 2012: Among 19 ill persons who were asked detailed questions about eating sushi, 18 reported eating sushi in the week before illness and 80% of sushi eaters reported eating spicy tuna. CT Department of Public Health reported a fourth cluster of unrelated ill persons who ate sushi at the same restaurant. MD Department of Health and Mental Hygiene reported a fifth cluster of unrelated ill persons who ate sushi at the same restaurant.
March 27, 2012: Among 29 ill persons who were asked detailed questions about eating sushi, 90% reported eating sushi and 81% of sushi eaters reported eating spicy tuna.
March 29, 2012: Restaurant sushi order comparison study launched.
April 2, 2012: FDA activated an Incident Management Group and transferred Salmonella Bareilly response activities within the FDA Emergency Operations Center. CDC staff member joined FDA Team in Washington, DC.
April 4, 2012: CDC posted initial web announcement about investigation.
April 9, 2012: Preliminary results of restaurant comparison study from 4 restaurants show that the proportion of comparison sushi orders containing spicy tuna as an ingredient averaged 37% (ranging from 29% to 53%).
April 10, 2012: WDHS notified CDC’s ORT about 5 recent Salmonella Nchanga infections occurring in the same states as the Salmonella Bareilly cases. One ill person in WI had reported eating tuna sushi.
April 13, 2012: Moon Marine USA Corporation voluntarily recalled 3 production dates of frozen raw yellowfin tuna product, labeled as Nakaochi Scrape AA or AAA from a single tuna processing facility in India. CDC and FDA warned public not to eat recalled product.
April 13–14, 2012: FDA issued two Import Alerts for fresh and frozen tuna from Moon Fishery India Pvt Ltd.
April 19 – 24, 2012: FDA conducted a seafood Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point inspection at Moon Fishery Pvt Ltd. in India.
April 24, 2012: WDHS announced that the Department of Agriculture Trade and Consumer Protection laboratory had found Salmonella Bareilly contamination in recalled yellowfin tuna and in a spicy tuna roll made with the recalled tuna.
April 26, 2012: FDA announced finding the outbreak strains of Salmonella Bareilly and Salmonella Nchanga in unopened packages of yellowfin tuna product imported from Moon Marine USA Corporation.