Investigation Update: Salmonella Outbreak, August 2025

CDC, public health and regulatory officials in several states, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) collected different types of data to investigate a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis infections.

Epidemiologic, laboratory, and traceback data showed that eggs distributed by Country Eggs, LLC were contaminated with Salmonella Enteritidis and may have made people sick.

Epidemiologic Data

A total of 105 people infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella were reported from 14 states. Illnesses started on dates ranging from January 7, 2025, to August 14, 2025. Of the 82 people with information available, 19 were hospitalized. No deaths were reported.

The true number of sick people in this outbreak was likely much higher than the number reported, and this outbreak may not have been limited to the states with known illnesses. This is because many people recover without medical care and are not tested for Salmonella.

Public health officials collect many different types of information from sick people, including their age, race, ethnicity, other demographics, and the foods they ate in the week before they got sick. This information provides clues to help investigators identify the source of the outbreak.

The table below has information about sick people in this outbreak ("n" is the number of people with information available for each demographic).

State and local public health officials interviewed people about the foods they ate in the week before they got sick. Of the 42 people interviewed, 38 (90%) reported eating eggs. This percentage is significantly higher than the 78% of respondents who reported eating eggs in the FoodNet Population Survey—a survey that helps estimate how often people eat various foods linked to diarrheal illness. This difference suggests that people in this outbreak got sick from eating eggs.

State health officials identified illness sub-clusters at four restaurants. An illness sub-cluster is a group of unrelated sick people who all ate at the same location or event, such as a restaurant. Investigating sub-clusters can help identify a food item eaten by all the sick people that could be the source of the outbreak. Eggs were served at the four restaurants with illness sub-clusters.

Laboratory and Traceback Data

Public health investigators used the PulseNet system to identify illnesses that may have been part of this outbreak. CDC PulseNet manages a national database of DNA fingerprints of bacteria that cause foodborne illnesses. DNA fingerprinting is performed on bacteria using a method called whole genome sequencing (WGS).

WGS showed that bacteria from sick people's samples were closely related genetically. This suggested that people in this outbreak got sick from the same food.

Based on WGS analysis, bacteria from 105 people's samples had predicted resistance to nalidixic acid and nonsusceptibility to ciprofloxacin (NSC); this NSC strain is related to a strain of Salmonella Enteritidis isolated from chicken, eggs, and backyard poultry. Most people with Salmonella illness recover without antibiotics. However, if antibiotics are needed, Salmonella illness with this predicted resistance may not be treatable with some commonly recommended antibiotics and may require a different antibiotic choice. More information is available at the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) site.

FDA conducted traceback based on where sick people reported shopping or eating eggs and dishes containing eggs during the timeframe of interest. Country Eggs, LLC was identified as a common supplier.

FDA conducted an inspection at Country Eggs, LLC, which included environmental sample collection. Three environmental samples were positive for Salmonella. WGS showed that the samples from the environment were the same as the sick people in this outbreak.

Public Health Actions

On August 27, 2025, Country Eggs, LLC recalled large brown cage-free “sunshine yolks” or “omega-3 golden yolks” eggs. These eggs had sell-by dates from July 1, 2025, through September 18, 2025, with the code “CA 7695” on the cartons. These eggs are no longer available for sale.