The strain of salmonella which recently sickened 14 people at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Mich, is the “relatively rare” salmonella isangi, according to an article on the Food Safety News website.
State health officials and hospital staff are working to figure out the cause of the outbreak.
Investigators are looking at what procedures those infected received, where they stayed at the hospital, and who their healthcare workers were while they were there.
Sources at the 802-bed hospital said the outbreak doesn’t appear to be food-related, but they aren’t yet sure.
“Salmonella can be transmitted basically by anything that enters your mouth, whether it’s a dirty hand, touching something that has Salmonella and touching your mouth, or food,” said Dr. Frank McGeorge, an emergency room physician affiliated with Henry Ford Hospital. “In a hospital setting, it could be just about anything, and that’s where the detective work happens and really has to take place.”
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