FDA, CDC investigating multistate outbreak of E coli, Salmonella linked to sprouts

News brief

Today the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced they are investigating an outbreak of Shiga toxin–producing Escherichia coli and Salmonella linked to alfalfa sprouts that has sickened 55 people, sending four people to the hospital, in 15 states.

Trace-back investigation points to alfalfa sprouts

State health departments and the CDC confirmed 46 people infected with E coli, seven people infected with Salmonella, and two people having both E coli and Salmonella infections. People became ill from May 31 through August 8.

About three-fourths of people interviewed—26 of 34 (76%)—said they ate alfalfa sprouts, and trace-back investigations identified alfalfa sprouts distributed by Everything Sprouts as the potential source of this outbreak. On Wednesday, the FDA started collecting samples from the company.

The FDA recommends that Everything Sprouts recall its product and urges people to avoid eating sprouts sold under the Calco or Everything Sprouts brand. People with these products should toss them out or return them to the store where they were purchased.

States with cases are Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Washington, and Wisconsin. Minnesota has reported the most cases: 21.

Both E coli and Salmonella cause diarrhea and stomach cramps. E coli can also lead to vomiting and bloody stool, while Salmonella can cause fever. The CDC recommends people seek medical care if they have any of these symptoms: diarrhea and a fever higher than 102°F, bloody diarrhea, diarrhea that lasts for more than two days and hasn’t improved, vomiting that impairs the ability to keep fluids down, and dehydration.

Is mpox here to stay? CDC study says virus is likely becoming endemic

News brief

Liz Szabo, MA

Viral particles of mpox, stained blue for clarity. — Colorized transmission electron micrograph of mpox virus particles (blue) cultivated and purified from cell culture.
NIAID/NIH

Although mpox cases related to the 2022 global outbreak were diagnosed in people who had traveled aboard, the virus now is spreading continuously in the United States.

Persistent, low levels of mpox “suggest a likely transition toward endemic circulation,” according to a report in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) flagship publication, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. The paper also quantifies the risk of hospitalization in unvaccinated mpox patients.

Mpox spreads through close contact, such as cuddling, kissing, or sex. Mpox can spread among household contacts, either from skin-to-skin contact or by sharing towels or bedding. In the current outbreak in Guinea-Bissau, half of cases are in children.

In the United States, mpox is most common among men who have sex with men. The CDC recommends that people at risk for mpox, including those traveling to countries with outbreaks of the virus, receive two doses of the Jynneos vaccine.

Unvaccinated at much higher risk of hospitalization

In 2024 and 2025, according to the report, 76% of mpox cases in the United States were in unvaccinated people, who were nearly 10 times as likely to be hospitalized with the virus as those who received both vaccine doses.

Before 2022, US mpox cases were related to foreign travel or infections from small animals imported from abroad. There are two types of mpox, clade 1 and clade 2. The CDC confirmed about 30,000 clade 2b mpox cases in the United States in 2022.

The global outbreak of clade 2b mpox that began in 2022 has infected 100,000 people in 122 total countries, including 115 countries in which mpox was not previously reported.

Quick takes: More vaccine executive order pushback, Cyclospora increase, polio in 5 nations

News brief

Meghan Holohan

Opposition to President Donald Trump’s recent executive order on childhood vaccines continues to mount, as more than 210 medical, health, and patient advocacy groups signed a letter condemning the administration’s efforts to reduce the number of childhood vaccines and spread out the doses. The statement reads, in part, “Families deserve clear guidance from federal health officials that is grounded in science and aimed at protecting children’s health. Instead, the White House released an Executive Order that undermines confidence in childhood vaccinations and recommends changes that would leave children less protected and families more confused.”
Yesterday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its Cyclospora numbers linked to a huge iceberg lettuce outbreak, adding 1,449 cases, for a total of 10,930 cases, including 454 hospitalizations, of which 56 are new. Deaths remain at two, and the number of affected states holds steady at 17. Also yesterday, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced it started inspections and taking samples from iceberg lettuce farms in Mexico with the help of Mexican officials. The agency “remains confident” that all recalled iceberg lettuce connected to this massive outbreak is no longer available.”
Afghanistan reported four cases of wild poliovirus, while several African nations confirmed vaccine-derived cases, according to an update today from the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) announced five circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) cases, and Sudan reported three cVDPV2 cases. Niger had one cVDPV3 case and Nigeria had one cVDPV2 case and one cVDPV3 case. On a positive note, Burundi, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, the DRC, and Uganda all ended their polio outbreaks, though they will need continue surveillance measures and ensure high population immunity to prevent future infections.