SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — The California Health Alert Network for San Diego County issued a health advisory, warning travelers to and from Mexico about an increase in Salmonella infections due to a multidrug-resistant strain of the bacteria.
The health advisory says the MDR Salmonella serotype Newport is harder to treat due to its resistance to antibiotics, and patients may have a higher risk of developing serious complications. If you traveled to and from Mexico in the last seven days and are currently experiencing salmonellosis symptoms, then you may have contracted this MDR strain of the bacteria, according to CAHAN.
Many travelers who were infected with this strain reported eating beef, cheese (including queso fresco and Oaxaca), beef jerky or carne seca before they got sick, the CAHAN says.
The CDC is telling health care providers to be on the lookout for possible MDR Salmonella Newport cases. Doctors will prescribe Ceftriaxone or another agent for initial treatment until test results regarding the strain's sensitivity to antibiotics are back.
The health advisory also provided a deeper dive background on the MDR Salmonella Newport strain. From 2015 to 2019, this strain was the second most common identified among San Diego County patients, accounting for 11% of cases. Two multistate clusters of MDR Salmonella Newport impacted some San Diego County residents since 2018. In 2018-19, 31 cases were reported locally, while 14 cases were reported in late 2021.
In those clusters, people reported they had eaten beef (including jerky) from the U.S. or Mexico, Mexican-style cheese brought into the U.S. from Mexico. The patients also said they traveled to Mexico.
The CDC posted a travel notification last month because of a new cluster of cases, on Sept. 8. It also established a Clinician Outreach Communication on Oct. 20.
For more information about the MDR Salmonella on theCDC website.
