State health and agriculture officials are investigating an outbreak of salmonellosis associated with eating at Chipotle restaurants in Minnesota. The food poisoning linked to the restaurant can have serious affects.

Forty-five (45) cases of Salmonella Newport infection have been reported to the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) since Wednesday, Sept. 2. Since many cases of salmonellosis do not seek health care and get tested, the number of ill people that are part of this outbreak is likely to be larger than the identified number of cases.

Symptoms of salmonellosis include diarrhea, abdominal pain and fever. Symptoms usually begin within 12 to 72 hours after exposure, but they can begin up to a week after exposure. Salmonella infections usually resolve in 5 to 7 days, but approximately 28 percent of laboratory-confirmed cases require hospitalization. Invasive infections (for example, blood stream infections, meningitis) occasionally occur. Affects can be long-lasting in certain cases. In rare cases, Salmonella infection can lead to death, particularly in the elderly or those with weakened immune systems.

The investigation to date has found that the 45 cases were all infected with Salmonella Newport bacteria that have matching or very similar DNA fingerprints. Of the 34 people who have been interviewed to date, 32 ate or likely ate at 17 different Chipotle restaurant locations. Most of the restaurant locations are in the Twin Cities metro area, with one in St. Cloud and one in Rochester. Their meal dates range from Aug. 16 to Aug. 26 and they became ill between Aug. 20 and Aug. 29.

According to the Minnesota Department of health, the Chipotle locations involved to date are 7 Corners (Minneapolis), Bloomington, Calhoun, Crystal, Hopkins, Maple Grove, Maplewood, Minnetonka, Richfield, Ridgedale, Rochester, Shoreview, St. Cloud, St. Louis Park, St. Paul Lawson, Uptown, and US Bank Plaza (Minneapolis). However, it is possible that other locations in Minnesota could have been affected as well. At this time there is no indication that locations outside of Minnesota are involved.
Anyone who ate at a Chipotle restaurant in mid to late August of this year and subsequently became ill may be entitled to compensation for their injuries. If you became ill after eating at Chipotle, please contact attorney James B. Sheehy at (612) 339-9121 of Meshbesher & Spence for a free consultation.