OTTAWA, Ontario – The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) are investigating an outbreak of Salmonella Litchfield, a rare strain of Salmonella not commonly seen in Canada, which has been linked to dry, cured Italian sausage products.

Ten of the case patients live in the province of Ontario and two cases were confirmed in Quebec. One person was hospitalized, but no deaths have been reported, PHAC said. Case patients became sick between May and September, and the outbreak appears to be ongoing as PHAC continues to receive reports of illnesses, the agency said.

In a public health alert, PHAC said, “Based on the investigation findings to date, exposure to Filicetti brand Italian Style mild, dry, cured sausage has been identified as a source of the outbreak.  Some of the individuals who became sick reported eating Filicetti brand Italian Style mild, dry, cured sausage before their illnesses occurred. Other ill individuals reported regularly consuming Filicetti brand dry sausages before getting sick. The investigation is ongoing, and it is possible that other sources could be identified.”

The CFIA launched a recall of various ready-to-eat dry sausage products that tested positive for Salmonella contamination, including Filicetti brand Italian Style mild, dry, cured sausage. Laboratory testing determined that the case patients and the recalled Filicetti brand sausage have the same genetic strain of Salmonella, PHAC noted.

CFIA identified additional products for recall and updated its public recall notice.