I posted this comment on Salmonella on an international listserv sponsored by the International Society for Infectious Diseases at Harvard University:
As someone who has investigated egg-associated outbreaks since the 1980s, there is a component that seems not to be transmitted either by the popular media or even through professional communication. The risk of getting an egg infected with _Salmonella_ Enteritidis (SE) is approximately 1 in 20,000.
The reason why we see restaurants now as in previous times being associated with outbreaks is they tend to pool many dozens of eggs, thermally abuse them over 41 deg F [5 deg C] increasing the number of organisms, then they either fail to cook whatever the product is to 155 deg F [68 deg C] or above, or cross-contaminate the raw egg with ready-to-eat foods.
Clearly, SE is a preventable disease if retail establishments follow the food code that is in their jurisdiction. Outbreaks of SE have been attributed in the past to hard-boiled eggs (obviously not boiled enough), raw egg products in Caesar salads, mousses, and eggnog as well as in cooked dishes such as quiches, lasagna, Monte Cristo sandwiches, and the like. The egg industry actually reduced the risk and many retail establishments eliminated utilizing raw, shell eggs and went to pasteurized eggs for both raw and fully cooked egg dishes.
-Dr. Melvin Kramer
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