CDC declares Salmonella outbreak traced to eggs has ended with more than 100 sick

A Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak traced to eggs that sickened more than 100 people has been declared over by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

There were 105 confirmed patients in the outbreak, but the CDC reported that there are likely many more people who got sick. The agency reports that for every patient confirmed in a Salmonella outbreak there are 29 people who go undetected. This is because some people do not seek medical attention and others are not specifically tested for Salmonella infection.

The confirmed patients lived in 14 states from coast to coast and ranged in age from 1 to 91 years old. Illnesses started on dates ranging from Jan. 7 to Aug. 14. Of 42 people interviewed, 38 reported eating eggs. There have been 19 hospitalizations. No deaths have been reported.

The sick people lived in Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Minnesota, North Carolina, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania and Washington.

Public health investigators used the PulseNet system to identify illnesses that may have been part of this outbreak. PulseNet manages a national database of DNA fingerprints of bacteria that cause foodborne illnesses. DNA fingerprinting is performed on bacteria using a method called whole genome sequencing (WGS). WGS showed that bacteria from sick people’s samples were closely related genetically. This suggested that people in this outbreak got sick from the same food.

Based on WGS analysis, bacteria from all 105 patients’ samples predicted resistance to the antibiotics nalidixic acid and nonsusceptibility to ciprofloxacin (NSC).

FDA conducted traceback based on where sick people reported shopping or eating eggs and dishes containing eggs during the timeframe of interest. Country Eggs LLC was identified as a common supplier.

After reviewing patient interviews and traceback information, the Food and Drug Administration initiated an inspection at Country Eggs LLC of Lucerne Valley, CA. That inspection included collection of environmental samples. Of the samples collected, three tested positive for the strain of Salmonella that matched the strain causing people to get sick.

On Aug. 27 — eight months after the illnesses began — Country Eggs LLC recalled large brown cage-free “sunshine yolks” or “omega-3 golden yolks” eggs. These eggs had sell-by dates from July 1, 2025, through Sept. 18, 2025, with the code “CA 7695” on the cartons. These eggs are no longer available for sale.

The FDA’s outbreak investigation is complete but the agency is working with the firm on corrective actions.

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