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Is there a community-level connection in ground beef-associated salmonellosis statistics? Does socioeconomic status make you more or less likely to become sick from this type of outbreak?
Scientists say yes.
The reason, however, is not all that clear.
This was the topic of a recently published paper.
Scientists from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, Booz Allen Hamilton, and the California Emerging Infections Program collaborated on a paper published in The Journal of Food Protection. A publication titled “Comparing Individual and Community-level Characteristics of People with Ground Beef-associated Salmonellosis and Other Ground Beef Eaters: A Case-Control Analysis” was published this summer.
The outcome of this data answers some questions, but poses others.
But first, lets talk about Salmonella.
Salmonella are microscopic germs that can make you sick. You might have heard of them in connection to recent outbreaks with eggs or previous links to chicken. The topic of this research involves ground beef. Another risky food associated with this bacteria.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 1.35 million people are infected with the bacteria in the United States each year. However, only 1 in every 30 illnesses are diagnosed. This is because most people with food poisoning do not seek medical treatment. For those cases, no laboratory testing is performed, the exact germ that made them sick is not known.
The intestinal illness, salmonellosis, is caused by infection with Salmonella bacteria.
Common symptoms include:
Most people experience symptoms in as little as six hours and up to six days after exposure.
While anyone can become sick if exposed, severity and length of illness can vary from person to person. Most people experience mild illness that passes quickly. Others may experience severe illness lasting weeks or even months after initial symptoms.
In most cases, people feel better within a week (four to seven days).
Fortunately, most people do not need antibiotic treatment to recover. However, antimicrobial resistance is a huge problem that can complicate things for those more susceptible to severe illness.
Antimicrobial resistance happens when bacteria evolve to be unaffected or defeat the medications designed to kill them. This can limit treatment options for the more medically vulnerable population.
According to reports, the CDC identifies nontyphoidal Salmonella enterica as one of the top five pathogens contributing to foodborne illnesses in the United States each year.
Salmonella enterica is one of the top five pathogens contributing to foodborne illnesses in the United States each year!
This germ is responsible for around 1.35 million illnesses across the country every year.
One of the top six categories associated with foodborne Salmonella is beef. Beef, along with chicken, fruit, pork, seeded vegetables, and other produce.
More specifically, ground beef.
In fact, ground beef has been associated with most of the outbreaks liked to beef. Between 2012 and 2019, half of the outbreaks associated with beef were ground beef.
The study uncovered key characteristics that may shed light on factors contributing to ground beef-associated salmonellosis that may lead to methods to reduce infection.
The largest demographic impacted by ground beef-related salmonellosis outbreaks were the age group between 18 and 34 years old.
While not definitive, answers to survey questions uncovered certain risk factors.
For example, consumer preferences for undercooked ground beef or certain practices involving ground beef preparation could be contributing factors.
“Among respondents of the 2018-2019 FoodNet Population Survey, the 18-34-years age group reported more frequent consumption of undercooked or raw ground beef than all other ages.” This, combined with survey answers indicating “the same age group reported the lowest ownership of food thermometers compared to all other age groups.”
A dangerous combination.
While certain community-level factors are poorly understood, research identified factors such as race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and urban/rural residency. However, previous studies documenting unequal access to healthy foods in certain neighborhoods where groups are concentrated has not been performed to better understand how these indicators increased vulnerability among people associated with outbreaks linked to contaminated food or those specifically linked to ground beef.
These variables relating to health inequality caused by external factors may be a contributing factor for future studies to explore.
The study consisted of data from 376 case patients and 1,321 control subjects who did not report gastrointestinal illness after eating ground beef.
Researchers found that certain potential health inequities were linked to those who became sick from a ground beef related Salmonella outbreak. According to study data, “the odds of being linked to a ground beef-associated outbreak increased by 24% with each 10-point percentile increase in county-level socioeconomic status vulnerability rank.”
That is a significant risk.
Findings from this study can help influence public health decisions by identifying communities that are at higher risk for Salmonella infections linked to ground beef. This could allow for community-based intervention strategies to prevent these infections.
Increasing educational activities, community-focused notifications, and identifying higher risk communities could potentially reduce the impact of ground beef-associated salmonellosis outbreaks.
If you have been impacted by a Salmonella outbreak linked to ground beef, and wish to make a legal claim, The Lange Law Firm, PLLC has a Salmonella lawyer that can help.
The Lange Law Firm, PLLC has successfully represented cases just like yours and won millions of dollars in food poisoning and products liabilities lawsuits.
Reach out by calling (833) 330-3663 or send us an email for a free, no obligation consultation. A member of our compassionate team will go over the details of your situation with you to help determine if you have a legal case.
Navigating the legal system can be difficult. An experienced lawyer knows the right questions to ask and the answer to those you may have. The Lange Law Firm, PLLC is here to help.
Call today to get the justice you deserve.
By: Heather Van Tassell (contributing writer, non-lawyer)
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