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The CDC has declared the 2026 Salmonella outbreak linked to backyard poultry over. It counted 1,253 cases across 46 states and Puerto Rico, including 256 hospitalizations and two deaths; some outbreak strains showed antibiotic resistance.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has declared the 2026 Salmonella outbreak linked to backyard poultry flocks over, after reporting 1,253 infections across 46 states and Puerto Rico. The outbreak was associated with seven Salmonella strains; 256 people were hospitalized and two deaths were reported.
The CDC said the outbreak strains were Salmonella Altona, Enteritidis, Indiana, Infantis, Kedougou, Mbandaka and Saintpaul. Patients ranged in age from under 1 year to 99, with a median age of 36. One in five patients was younger than 5, according to the outbreak report.
Many patients or their caregivers said chicks or ducklings had been bought from agricultural retail stores. Others obtained birds from people they knew, hatcheries or local farms. The CDC identified eight hatcheries that had sold infected birds but did not name them in the source report.
Investigators in Idaho, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Oregon and Tennessee collected samples from backyard poultry or from the insides of shipping boxes used to transport live birds. Whole-genome sequencing found that Salmonella Enteritidis, Mbandaka, Kedougou and Saintpaul in some samples matched strains found in sick people. The source report does not say that every outbreak strain was recovered from the environmental or poultry samples.
The Health Toll Across Flocks
The outbreak’s closure ends the current public-health investigation, but its scale underscores the potential health risk associated with handling backyard poultry. The reported toll includes 256 hospitalizations and two deaths, and young children made up a substantial share of patients. These are confirmed reports in the outbreak count, not an estimate of every infection that occurred.
The CDC also warned that some outbreak strains showed antibiotic resistance. Of 1,253 human isolates sequenced, 670 were resistant to fosfomycin, 184 to nalidixic acid and 152 to tetracycline, among other findings. Another 185 were predicted to be nonsusceptible to ciprofloxacin. The source report does not establish that every patient received antibiotics or that resistance caused a particular outcome; the results describe laboratory findings that may matter when clinicians select treatment.
The official case total is also unlikely to capture every illness. The CDC estimates that for each confirmed Salmonella patient in an outbreak, 29 infections go undetected, because some people do not seek medical care or are not tested specifically for Salmonella. That estimate is general CDC guidance, not a count of additional cases confirmed in this outbreak.
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From 34 Cases to 1,253
The CDC first reported the outbreak on April 13, 2026, when 34 people in 13 states had been identified and 13 had been hospitalized. At that point, reported illnesses had begun on February 26. The case count later grew to 1,253 across 46 states and Puerto Rico as investigators gathered reports and linked infections to the outbreak strains.
According to the supplied Food Safety News report, the 2026 outbreak was the second largest recorded by the CDC for backyard poultry-associated Salmonella outbreaks. The highest total in the cited series was 1,722 cases in 2020. The source table lists 8,575 reported illnesses, 1,803 hospitalizations and 12 deaths across the eight years from 2019 through 2026; those figures are a historical series, not a forecast or estimate of current infections.
““For every confirmed patient in a Salmonella outbreak there are 29 who go undetected.””
— Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Cases and Hatchery Details
The CDC’s declaration means the outbreak is considered over; it does not establish how every infection occurred or identify a single source for all cases. The eight hatcheries were not named in the supplied report, and it does not provide details about enforcement action, corrective measures at those businesses or whether any further investigation is planned.
It is also unclear how many illnesses were missed by testing or never reported. The CDC’s 29-to-one estimate describes the general undercount expected in Salmonella outbreaks and should not be used to calculate a precise total for this one. The report does not specify the dates of the final illnesses or explain what evidence prompted the agency’s closure declaration.
Resistance findings were reported for isolates from patients, but the source material does not give patient-level treatment information or link particular resistance results to the two deaths. The findings therefore should not be read as proof that resistance caused those outcomes.
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Practical Steps After Closure
The outbreak investigation has been declared over, and the supplied report does not announce a new case-count update or a scheduled next milestone. People with backyard poultry can still follow routine precautions: wash hands with soap and water after touching birds, eggs, feed or equipment; keep poultry and their supplies away from areas where food is prepared; and supervise young children around birds. Do not kiss or snuggle poultry, and avoid eating or drinking around the animals.
Anyone who develops severe symptoms or is at higher risk of serious illness should contact a health professional. The reported outbreak closure does not mean that backyard poultry are free of Salmonella or that future infections cannot occur; it marks the end of this particular outbreak investigation, based on the CDC’s status announcement.
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Key Questions
How many people were reported sick?
The CDC reported 1,253 infections linked to the outbreak in 46 states and Puerto Rico. It also reported 256 hospitalizations and two deaths. The total may not include every illness because some infections are never diagnosed or reported.
Which birds were associated with the outbreak?
Patients or their caregivers commonly reported obtaining chicks and ducklings for backyard flocks. Birds came from agricultural retail stores, hatcheries, local farms and people known to the buyers.
Did investigators identify the hatcheries?
The CDC identified eight hatcheries that had sold infected birds, but the supplied report says the agency did not name them. It provides no further details about actions taken at those hatcheries.
Does the end of the outbreak mean backyard poultry are safe from Salmonella?
No. The declaration applies to this reported outbreak; it does not mean poultry cannot carry Salmonella or that future infections are impossible. Handwashing and keeping birds and their equipment away from food-preparation areas remain sensible precautions.
What did the CDC report about antibiotic resistance?
Laboratory testing found that some patient isolates were resistant to several antibiotics, and 185 were predicted to be nonsusceptible to ciprofloxacin. These are isolate-level findings; the source report does not link them to specific treatments or patient outcomes.
Source: rss
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