Salmonella outbreak associated with Hope International Church in Seattle

Highlights, updated December 18, 2023

Summary

Public Health investigated an outbreak of salmonellosis (caused by Salmonella bacteria) associated with Hope International Church in Seattle. The people who became sick reported eating homemade dishes served at the church potluck.

Illnesses

Seven people from five separate households reported becoming sick after eating at a potluck at Hope International Church on November 12, 2023. The people who became sick ranged in age from 4 to 63 years old. All seven people developed one or more symptoms consistent with salmonellosis, including nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, bloody stool, and fever.

Public Health actions

Public Health conducted interviews with the people who became sick to identify potential common exposures and identified that they all became sick after eating homemade dishes at the potluck. No specific source was identified.

Environmental Health Investigators from the Donated Food Distributing Organizations (DFDO) program visited the church on November 21, 2023. Investigators reviewed the church’s process for storing, reheating, and serving the food. They documented factors that may have contributed to the outbreak, such as improper temperature control. Factors prior to food’s arrival at the church that may have contributed to the outbreak are unknown.

Laboratory testing

Two of the seven people who became sick tested positive for Salmonella Enteritidis. Symptoms among those who did not get tested were suggestive of a Salmonella infection.