During the recent Salmonella outbreak linked to peanut butter, scientists from state and local public health laboratories across the country were able to identify the DNA “fingerprint” of the bacteria through PulseNet, the national molecular subtyping network for foodborne disease surveillance. The PulseNet Network allows laboratories to compare these “fingerprints” to determine if the same strain of bacteria responsible for an outbreak in one state is sickening people in other states.
Scientists at public health laboratories in Minnesota and Connecticut and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture were the first to identify and compare the DNA fingerprints from Salmonella cases and the implicated food product. Once it was determined that the same strain of Salmonella Typhimurium was responsible for outbreaks in multiple states, epidemiologic investigations were initiated to find what the cases had in common.
The source of the outbreak was eventually traced back to peanut butter and peanut paste produced at Peanut Corporation of America’s (PCA) Blakely, GA facility. The facility was shut down, and companies who had purchased peanut products from PCA were able to recall potentially contaminated food items.