6 Hospitalized in Colorado for Salmonella

July 27, 2009

The Colorado health department says six people are recovering after being hospitalized for salmonella that might be linked to a ground beef recall.

Officials said 14 cases have been reported in the state overall. Eight did not require hospitalization.

The Denver-based King Soopers grocery chain last week recalled 466,236 pounds of ground beef products that were distributed to stores in Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.

The state Department of Public Health and Environment urged the recall because of the number of people hospitalized and because the strain of salmonella found is resistant to many antibiotics usually used to treat the illness, spokeswoman Lori Maldonado said.

Brian Mabry of the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service said Friday this was the first time the agency had recalled raw ground beef for salmonella.

Mabry said salmonella has been found in raw ground beef before but no recall was issued because the source hadn’t been determined. He said other salmonella recalls have involved cooked ground beef.

The King Soopers ground beef products were produced May 23-June 13 and bear”‘EST. 6250″ within the USDA Mark of Inspection, printed on the front of the packages.

Salmonella can result in abdominal cramps, diarrhea and fever. Most people recover without treatment, but some require hospitalization. In rare cases, the organism can get into the blood and produce more severe illnesses.