Tuna Lawsuit Filed by National Salmonella Lawyers Representing Victims in Massachusetts, New Jersey and Other States

Posted on May 9, 2012

Attorney Fred Pritzker

A tuna sushi Salmonella lawsuit has been filed by a Massachusetts woman who contracted a severe Salmonella Bareilly infection after eating a spicy tuna roll at a Cambridge restaurant.

A resident of Malden, in Middlesex County, the woman is a victim of a Salmonella outbreak  that has sickened  at least 250 people in 24 states and the District of Columbia, including 27 Massachusetts residents. The outbreak has been linked to “Nakaochi Scrape,” a tuna product manufactured and sold by Moon Marine USA based in Cupertino, Calif.

The plaintiff,  who is seeking damages in excess of $75,000, is being represented by the national food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen, which is representing other victims of the outbreak. The lawsuit was filed May 8 in the Boston Division of  U.S. District Court, (case number 1:12-cv-10819-RGS).

On March 26, 2012, the woman dined at the Thelonious Monkfish restaurant in Cambridge, where she ate a spicy tuna roll that contained “Nakaochi Scrape” manufactured and sold by Moon Marine, according to the complaint. Two days later, she began to experience the symptoms of severe gastroenteritis including diarrhea, vomiting and abdominal cramping. These symptoms intensified over the next two days, and she then sought medical treatment at Massachusetts General Hospital. She received treatment at the hospital where lab tests confirmed that she had a Salmonella Bareilly infection that was a genetic match to the outbreak strain. Since that time, repeated stool sample cultures from the victim have all tested positive for Salmonella and she has been legally unable to  return to work.

 ”Our clients have suffered and will continue to suffer great physical and emotional pain because tuna scrape used for sushi rolls was adulterated with a dangerous pathogen,” said Fred Pritzker, lead attorney for the firm’s Salmonella lawsuits. “My experience is that outbreaks like this one are caused by poor sanitation measures and inadequate pathogen testing.”

Salmonella attorneys at Pritzker Olsen are available for a free consultation regarding a tuna sushi lawsuit. To contact them call toll free at 1-888-377-8900 (toll free) or reach them online.

Salmonella Outbreak from Raw Tuna Scrape Expands Again

Posted on May 2, 2012

Attorney Fred Pritzker

The outbreak of Salmonella food poisoning linked to raw tuna scrape has now sickened 258 people and hospitalized 32 in 24 states and the District of Columbia. The CDC has just updated their investigation, including cases reported up to April 4, 2012. Cases that occurred after that date are probably not included in the count because it takes time to report an illness.

Two strains of Salmonella bacteria were found in the frozen raw scraped tuna product imported from India into the United States by Moon Marine USA Corporation. Salmonella Bareilly has sickened 247 people, and Salmonella Nchanga has sickened 11 people.

The dates people became ill range from January 28 to April 20, 2012. The patient age range is from 4 to 86 years, with 30 being the median age. Fifty-seven percent of the patients are female. No deaths have been reported.

The case count is broken down according to state. Three new states have been added to the case count: California, Nebraska, and Tennessee. Patients sickened with Salmonella Bareilly live in these states:

• Alabama (2)
• Arkansas (1)
• California (2)
• Connecticut (9)
• District of Columbia (2)
• Florida (1)
• Georgia (10)
• Illinois (23)
• Louisiana (3)
• Maryland (24)
• Massachusetts (27)
• Mississippi (2)
• Missouri (4)
• Nebraska (1)
• New Jersey (25)
• New York (39)
• North Carolina (4)
• Pennsylvania (20)
• Rhode Island (6)
• South Carolina (3)
• Tennessee (2)
• Texas (4)
• Virginia (16)
• Vermont (1)
• Wisconsin (16)

Patients sickened with Salmonella Nchanga live in these states:

• Georgia (2)
• New Jersey (2)
• New York (5)
• Virginia (1)
• Wisconsin (1)

The product linked to these illnesses, raw tuna scrape, was scraped from tuna bones, chopped or ground, mixed together, packaged and frozen, shipped from India to the United States, broken into smaller unlabeled lots, then distributed around the country and used to make spicy tuna rolls and other types of sushi. This product is inherently dangerous and can be contaminated just like ground beef.

Anyone who has been sickened in this outbreak should be able to recover medical expenses, income loss, suffering and pain compensation, and other damages. Our experienced Salmonella lawyers can help protect your legal rights. These cases are complicated, so you need attorneys who have collected tens of millions of dollars for victims and who are trying to end contamination in the food supply. Call 1-888-377-8900 to talk to us about your case, or fill out our online form to contact us.

Salmonella Paratyphi B Outbreak in Buncombe County, North Carolina

Posted on Apr 27, 2012

Attorney Fred Pritzker

An outbreak of Salmonella Paratyphi B in Buncombe County North Carolina has just been announced by the Buncombe County Department of Health. Twenty-seven people are sick with this serotype, most of them in Buncombe County, but also others in North Carolina and other states.

Officials think the outbreak began on February 28, 2012. This type of Salmonella causes enteric fever that is similar to typhoid fever. Antibiotics are used to treat the infection.

Symptoms of Salmonella Paratyphi B infection include a gradually increasing fever that can reach 103 or 104 degrees, diarrhea that is often bloody, and abdominal pain. The patient can also suffer from a non-productive cough, slow heart rate, and enlargement of the liver or spleen. Paratyphoid fever, an illness similar to typhoid, can be caused by Salmonella Paratyphi B.

Symptoms begin about 6 to 30 days after exposure, and the illness can last between 4 and 7 days. Anyone in a high risk group, which includes infants, the elderly, those with chronic illnesses, and those with a compromised immune system, can become very ill. Hospitalization is sometimes necessary.

Authorities haven’t pinpointed the source of the bacteria, but they are examining food sources. No information is available yet on the ages of the patients or illness onset dates.

If you or a loved one has been sickened in this outbreak, please see a doctor immediately. Then contact our experienced attorneys for help to protect your legal rights. You can use our online form or call 1-888-377-8900 toll free.

Raw Tuna Scrape: CDC Updates Investigation, Adds Another Bacteria

Posted on Apr 26, 2012

Attorney Fred Pritzker

The CDC has updated its investigation into the Salmonella outbreak that is linked to the recalled raw tuna scrape imported from India by Moon Marine USA Corporation. The product was used to make sushi, especially spicy tuna rolls, that were sold in grocery stores and supermarkets around the country.

Now 200 people are ill in 21 states and the District of Columbia, and 28 people are hospitalized. And public health officials have recently discovered that another variety of Salmonella, called Salmonella Nchanga, was present in the tuna and has sickened consumers in addition to the Salmonella Bareilly.

The case count now is:

• Alabama (2)
• Arkansas (1)
• Connecticut (8)
• District of Columbia (2)
• Florida (1)
• Georgia (9)
• Illinois (15)
• Louisiana (3)
• Maryland (20)
• Massachusetts (24)
• Mississippi (2)
• Missouri (4)
• New Jersey (18)
• New York (33)
• North Carolina (3)
• Pennsylvania (7)
• Rhode Island (6)
• South Carolina (3)
• Texas (4)
• Virginia (9)
• Vermont (1)
• Wisconsin (15)

A smaller Salmonella outbreak that had sickened 10 people in 5 states was occurring at the same time as the larger outbreak. When investigators questioned patients, they found that half of them had eaten sushi the week before getting sick. So government labs tested the raw tuna product and found the same bacteria, Salmonella Nchanga, with the same DNA profile that had sickened people.

The two investigations have now been combined and will be reported on at the same time. The case count for the Salmonella Nchanga outbreak is: Georgia (2), New Jersey (1), New York (5), Virginia (1), and Wisconsin (1).

If you or anyone in your family has been sickened by raw tuna, you deserve full and fair compensation. Contact me and my experienced Salmonella attorneys for a free consultation. You can reach us online, or call toll free at 1-888-377-8900.

Wisconsin Lab: Salmonella In Tainted Tuna A Genetic Match To Outbreak Strain That Has Sickened 160

Posted on Apr 25, 2012

Attorney Fred Pritzker

Wisconsin health officials have established that the Salmonella Bareilly strain found in recalled tuna produced by Moon Marine USA Corp. is a genetic match to the outbreak strain that has sickened 160 people in 20 states and the District of Columbia, they announced today.

The state agencies worked together to establish the link. First, the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) laboratory found Salmonella Bareilly in a sample of the recalled yellowfin tuna and in a spicy tuna roll made with the recalled tuna. Then, the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene (WSLH) at the University of Wisconsin – Madison used Pulsed Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE) testing and determined that the genetic fingerprint of the strain in the tuna matched the genetic fingerprint of the Salmonella Bareilly strain isolated from individuals who had become ill.

Moon Marine, of Cupertino, California, issued a recall of all frozen raw yellowfin tuna product, labeled as Nakaochi Scrape AA or AAA, on April 13, 2012. The product was not sold directly to individual consumers, but may have been used to make sushi, or other raw fish dishes, sold at restaurants and grocery stores. State and federal officials are continue to trace the distribution trail of the product.

At least 15 Wisconsin residents have been diagnosed with laboratory-confirmed cases of Salmonella Bareilly infections that match the DNA fingerprint of the national outbreak strain. Three of them required hospitalization.

If you have questions about an illness or hospitalization associated with this outbreak and would like a free consultation, contact the Salmonella attorneys at PritzkerOlsen. You can reach them online or my calling 1 (888) 377-8900.

Raw Tuna Scrape: Is Imported Seafood Well Inspected?

Posted on Apr 23, 2012

Attorney Fred Pritzker

The raw tuna, called Nakaochi Scrape, imported from India by Moon Marine USA Corporation, is linked to the Salmonella Bareilly outbreak that has sickened at least 160 people in 20 states and the District of Columbia.

The fish was scraped off the bones of the tuna, finely chopped, then packaged into large blocks and frozen. While freezing destroys the parasites that can be found in raw fish, it does not kill Salmonella bacteria. And that bacteria that was most likely on the surface of the fish was mixed through the product when it was chopped, just like bacteria is mixed through ground beef. Then when it was thawed and used to make sushi, especially spicy tuna rolls, the bacteria started growing again.

Many experts have questioned the government’s inspection of imported foods, especially imported seafood. The FDA only inspects 2% of the seafood imported into the United States, according to one study conducted by the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future.

Another problem with this raw tuna product is that is was broken into smaller lots to be shipped around the country. Many of those lots were unlabeled, making traceback difficult. The government fears that some of the Nakaochi Scrape may still be in freezers around the country.

If you choose to eat sushi or another raw food made with tuna, ask where it came from to be sure it’s not included in the April 14 recall of the Moon Marine USA product.

If you or a member of your family ate a raw tuna product and experienced the symptoms of Salmonella food poisoning, including diarrhea, often bloody, severe abdominal cramps, and fever within the last three months, see your doctor for treatment and to be tested. Then contact one of our experienced Salmonella lawyers to learn how to protect your legal rights. You deserve fair and full compensation. You can fill out our online form or call 1-888-377-8900 (toll free) or 612-338-0202.