Cracking the case: A multi-strain Salmonella outbreak in Canada linked to pistachios and pistachio-containing products
12:00pm - 1:00pm
Megan Striha, MPH, BSc
Abstract
In June 2025, separate outbreak investigations were initiated into clusters of Salmonella Havana and Salmonella Mbandaka cases in Canada. Several methods were pursued to generate and test hypotheses in both investigations, including case interviewing, administering a control survey to estimate exposure to pistachios and pistachio-containing products in the general population, food safety investigations, and product sampling. In July 2025, Salmonella Havana and Salmonella Mbandaka were isolated from the same lot of pistachios, triggering a national multi-strain outbreak investigation. Sampling of more pistachios and pistachio-containing products (e.g., Dubai chocolate) identified additional Salmonella strains. By the conclusion of the year long investigation, 43 strains from 18 Salmonella serovars had been included in the investigation. A total of 200 confirmed cases were identified between March 2025 and May 2026. Overall, 80% of cases reported exposure to pistachios or pistachio-containing products. The epidemiological and food safety investigations identified pistachios from Iran as the source of the outbreak. Public health action has included public communications, over 500 recalled products, and a ban of the import of pistachios from Iran.
This presentation will trace the outbreak from its initial detection and source identification through its evolution into a large-scale event involving multiple Salmonella serovars and strains. It will also cover the public health actions taken, summarize the epidemiological findings, and conclude with key takeaways and lessons learned from managing this complex outbreak.
Speaker
Megan Striha, MPH, BSc
Senior Epidemiologist, Outbreak Management Division,
Centre for Food-borne, Environmental & Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Public Health Agency of Canada
Megan Striha is a Senior Epidemiologist with the Outbreak Management Division at the Public Health Agency of Canada. As a member of the Outbreak Response team, she works to coordinate the response to and investigation of multi-jurisdictional outbreaks of enteric illness. Megan began her career at Statistics Canada in the
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