Texas has been hit with a fourfold increase in salmonella infections this summer, but state and local health officials can’t say if the illnesses are related to a recent recall of tainted eggs.
“It is reasonable to assume that some of the illnesses may be connected to the egg recall, but we have not established a definitive link,” Christine Mann, a spokeswoman for the Texas Department of State Health Services, said Thursday.
Officials confirmed they are investigating 150 salmonella cases reported since mid-May. Six cases have been reported in Dallas County.
So far, none of the Texas cases is linked to the recall of 380 million eggs produced by Wright County Egg of Galt, Iowa.
State and local disease trackers said they were struggling to figure out where the tainted eggs went after they were shipped to regional distributors.
Apparently, it is not uncommon for eggs from more than one company to be unknowingly combined in a single carton before being shipped to commercial and retail customers.
Investigators also are looking at clusters of people across the country – including Dallas County – that reportedly got sick after eating in restaurants. It’s easier to track a group of salmonella illnesses back to egg consumption than it is to figure out what one person ate.
“It allows you to look at restaurant invoices to see where their eggs are from,” said Dr. Wendy Chung, chief epidemiologist for Dallas County Health and Human Services, who has attempted to track the county’s six salmonella cases.