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  5. Outbreak Investigation of Salmonella Stanley: Wood Ear Mushrooms - Dried Fungus (September 2020)
  1. Outbreaks of Foodborne Illness

Outbreak Investigation of Salmonella Stanley: Wood Ear Mushrooms - Dried Fungus (September 2020)

CDC declares outbreak over. FDA's investigation is complete.

The FDA, along with CDC and state and local partners, investigated a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Stanley infections linked to wood ear mushrooms imported by Wismettac Asian Foods, Inc. of Santa Fe Springs, CA. Wood ear mushrooms are a dried mushroom, also commonly labelled or referred to as Kikurage, Dried Black Fungus, Dried Fungus, or Mu’er/Mu Er/Mu-Err.

Wismettac Asian Foods, Inc. acted quickly upon being notified of the positive test result and recalled all wood ear mushrooms within shelf life on September 23, 2020.

Recommendation

Wood ear mushrooms imported by Wismettac Asian Foods, Inc. were only sold to restaurants and were not available directly to consumers. Although these items have been recalled, restaurants that received recalled products should use extra vigilance in cleaning and sanitizing any surfaces that may have come in contact with the recalled product, to reduce the risk of cross contamination. All recalled product should be thrown out.


Investigation Update

November 4, 2020

As of November 4, 2020, the CDC declared that this outbreak is over.

General Food Safety Tips for Dried Mushrooms

Dried mushrooms, that have not been recalled due to potential contamination, should always be reconstituted using boiling water to kill any pathogens. This advice does not apply to recalled products, which should be thrown out.

Product Images

Outbreak Investigation of Salmonella Stanley in Wood Ear Mushrooms (September 2020) - Photos of Recalled Shirakiku Dried Fungus

Recall Information

On September 23, 2020, Wismettac Asian Foods, Inc. recalled Shirakiku brand imported dried fungus. This product was labeled as Shirakiku brand Black Fungus (Kikurage) with UPC Code 00074410604305, imported from China. Product was distributed in six packs of five-pound bags to restaurants in AR, CA, CO, CT, DE, DC, FL, GA, HI, IA, IL, IN, LA, MA, MD, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, NV, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WA, and WI.


Case Count Map Provided by CDC

Outbreak Investigation of Salmonella Stanley in Wood Ear Mushrooms (November 2020) Case Count Map from CDC 11/4/2020

U.S. Distribution Map of Recalled Wood Ear Mushrooms

Outbreak Investigation of Salmonella Stanley in Wood Ear Mushrooms (September 2020) - U.S. Distribution Map of Recalled Wood Ear Mushrooms 9/24/2020

Case Counts

Total Illnesses: 55
Hospitalizations: 6
Deaths: 0
Last Illness Onset Date: September 19, 2020
States with Cases: AZ (1), CA (33), CT (1), GA (1), IL (5), LA (1), NJ (2), NY (1), OR (1), PA (2), WA (5), WI (2)
Product Distribution*: AR, CA, CO, CT, DE, DC, FL, GA, HI, IA, IL, IN, LA, MA, MD, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, NV, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WA, WI
*States with confirmed distribution; product could have been distributed further


Previous Updates

October 5, 2020

As part of this investigation, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) collected samples of wood ear mushrooms, imported by Wismettac Asian Foods, Inc., from one of the restaurants where ill patients reported eating. On October 1, 2020, CDPH reported that genetic testing, or whole genome sequencing, determined that the Salmonella present in the samples matched the outbreak strain.


Who to Contact

Consumers who have symptoms should contact their health care provider to report their symptoms and receive care.

To report a complaint or adverse event (illness or serious allergic reaction), 
visit Industry and Consumer Assistance.

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