CDC, public health and regulatory officials in several states, as well as the FDA began investigating a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Montevideo infections on February 22, 2018 (Outbreak ID# 1801MLJIX-1). As of February 27, 2018, 10 people infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Montevideo were reported from 3 states. Genetic analysis showed that isolates from ill people were closely relatedly genetically (PFGE pattern JIXX01.0011). This means that people in this outbreak were more likely to share a common source of infection.

Illnesses started on dates ranging from December 20, 2017 to January 28, 2018. Ill people ranged in age from 26 to 56, with a median age of 42. All 10 (100%) were female. No hospitalizations and no deaths were reported. Laboratory confirmed cases of Salmonella Montevideo were interviewed about their food history. In interviews, ill people answered questions about the foods they ate and other exposures in the week before they became ill. Eight (80%) of ten people interviewed reported eating at multiple Jimmy John’s restaurant locations. Of these eight people, all eight (100%) reported eating raw sprouts on a sandwich from Jimmy John’s in Illinois and Wisconsin. Two ill people in Wisconsin ate at a single Jimmy John’s location in that state. One ill person reported eating raw sprouts purchased from a grocery store in Minnesota. These results indicated that raw sprouts sold at Jimmy Johns were the likely source of this multistate outbreak.

FDA and state, and local regulatory officials conducted traceback investigations to help determine the source of the sprouts and their distribution chain. To date, no contamination source has been identified,