CDC, FDA Investigating Salmonella Outbreak Tied to Kratom

Kratom, a botanical FDA has cautioned poses safety concerns, is the likely source of an outbreak of Salmonella in 20 states.

Josh Long, Associate editorial director, SupplySide Supplement Journal

February 21, 2018

2 Min Read
CDC, FDA Investigating Salmonella Outbreak Tied to Kratom

Local, state and federal officials are investigating a multistate outbreak of Salmonella likely tied to kratom, a botanical FDA said poses safety concerns and impacts the same opioid brain receptors as morphine.

The outbreak has impacted 28 people from 20 states, with 11 hospitalizations reported, federal agencies divulged.

Epidemiologic evidence indicates kratom is a likely source of the outbreak, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said. Consumers who have fallen ill reported consumption of the botanical in pills, powder or tea, but health officials have not identified common brands or suppliers of kratom products as the source of the outbreak.

Most people exposed to Salmonella suffer abdominal cramps, diarrhea and fever. Although FDA noted the illness typically lasts four to seven days, with most people recovering without treatment, the agency reported the current outbreak shows an unusually high number of cases of hospitalizations.

CDC is recommending consumers don’t consume kratom in any form due to the possibility of contamination with Salmonella.

Americans in recent years have turned to the botanical to wean off opioids, including prescription drugs, and many consumers have said the botanical has improved their life with few adverse side effects.

On the other hand, FDA has reported kratom affects the same opioid brain receptors as morphine and appears to feature properties that expose individuals who consume the botanical to the risks of abuse, addiction and dependence.

Health professionals have been divided on the benefits and risks of kratom. Christopher McCurdy, Ph.D., a medicinal chemistry professor at the University of Florida, believes the botanical has the potential to work for patients and help solve the opioid crisis, CNN reported in a 2017 article.

"There's a huge wealth of anecdotal evidence, and some scientific, that there is definite medical potential for this plant,” McCurdy—president of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS)—told CNN. “If it's not in the treatment of mild and moderate pain, it's definitely in the treatment of potential opioid withdrawal.”

FDA divulged in February that a new scientific analysis provided stronger evidence of the opioid proprieties in kratom compounds. Kratom has not been approved by FDA as a medicine.

“Kratom should not be used to treat medical conditions, nor should it be used as an alternative to prescription opioids,” FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D., said in a statement. “There is no evidence to indicate that kratom is safe or effective for any medical use. And claiming that kratom is benign because it’s ‘just a plant’ is shortsighted and dangerous.”

 

About the Author

Josh Long

Associate editorial director, SupplySide Supplement Journal , Informa Markets Health and Nutrition

Josh Long directs the online news, feature and op-ed coverage at SupplySide Supplement Journal (formerly known as Natural Products Insider), which targets the health and wellness industry. He has been reporting on developments in the dietary supplement industry for over a decade, with a focus on regulatory issues, including at the Food and Drug Administration.

He has moderated and/or presented at industry trade shows, including SupplySide East, SupplySide West, Natural Products Expo West, NBJ Summit and the annual Dietary Supplement Regulatory Summit.

Connect with Josh on LinkedIn and ping him with story ideas at [email protected]

Education and previous experience

Josh majored in journalism and graduated from Arizona State University the same year "Jake the Snake" Plummer led the Sun Devils to the Rose Bowl against the Ohio State Buckeyes. He also holds a J.D. from the University of Wyoming College of Law, was admitted in 2008 to practice law in the state of Colorado and spent a year clerking for a state district court judge.

Over more than a quarter century, he’s written on various topics for newspapers and business-to-business publications – from the Yavapai in Arizona and a controversial plan for a nuclear-waste incinerator in Idaho to nuanced issues, including FDA enforcement of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA).

Since the late 1990s, his articles have been published in a variety of media, including but not limited to, the Cape Cod Times (in Massachusetts), Sedona Red Rock News (in Arizona), Denver Post (in Colorado), Casper Star-Tribune (in Wyoming), now-defunct Jackson Hole Guide (in Wyoming), Colorado Lawyer (published by the Colorado Bar Association) and Nutrition Business Journal.

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