USDA urged to name

Public health and regulatory officials are under pressure to identify the turkey brands linked to the recent salmonella outbreak.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the outbreak started in November 2017. As of Nov. 5, 2018, 164 people in 35 states have been infected. Sixty-three people have been hospitalized and one person in California has died. The most affected states include Texas, Minnesota, Illinois and New York.

Consumer Reports on Wednesday called the USDA to list the brands associated with the drug-resistant strain of salmonella with Thanksgiving about a week away.

"The USDA should immediately make sure that producers, suppliers, and brands are involved in this outbreak – especially with Thanksgiving right around the corner," Jean Halloran, director of Food Policy Initiatives for Consumer Reports, said in a statement. "This information could save lives and help people get sick."

Salmonella infection can cause symptoms of poisoning. Symptoms include fever, stomach aches, and diarrhea, which typically develop within 12 to 72 hours after exposure to the bacteria. Most people recover from treatment. Sometimes the illness can be so severe that people need to be hospitalized; this could be for severe diarrhea leading to dehydration, or if the infection spreads from the intestines to the bloodstream and other places in the body. People at higher risk for severe illness are children under the age of 5, and adults with weakened immune systems.

The strain of salmonella caused by turkeys, raw turkey products and turkey pet food in Minnesota, the CDC said. It has been identified in the past by producers of meat products.

"The salmonella strain of these samples is closely related to the salmonella strain of ill people," the CDC said.

The CDC is not advising consumers to avoid eating these products. It is recommended that you handle handling turkey carefully, including washing your hands before and after preparing or eating turkey. Counters, cutting boards, and utensils should also be carefully cleaned to prevent the spread of germs from being prepared. Cooking raw turkey thoroughly (to an internal temperature of 165 ° F, measured by placing a thermometer in the thickest part of the food) will help prevent food poisoning. Feeding raw meat to pets is also discouraged.

Johanna Kreafle, MD is an emergency medicine physician at the Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, and a member of the ABC News Medical Unit.