New technology is helping federal officials link salmonella illness cases in different parts of the country to the same pathogen.

 

 

"They're able to make those associations through the use of whole-genome sequencing technology in a way, I think, previously you might have thought that five people from one state, and four people from another state, and three people somewhere else, are getting sick but they were not necessarily seen as being all related," said USDA's Acting Undersecretary for Food Safety Carmen Rottenburg.

 

"As a result of whole-genome sequencing technology, the CD is able to more quickly and accurately relate illnesses as being a part of the same strain of Salmonella," she added.

 

 

And then, officials work to find out where the tainted food came from.

 

 

"In the case of Salmonella-Newport, we went to JBS in October with trace-back information, that linked illnesses to their product," added Rottenburg.

 

 

Approximately 12-million pounds of ground beef have been recalled so far.

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