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Toxoplasma gondii Outbreak Associated With Catered Venison Dinners, Westchester County, New York—January–February 2024

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: On January 19 and 20, 2024, a caterer in Westchester County, New York, served a seven-course game dinner to approximately 250 guests each evening (500 total). Six courses contained venison from 10 deer harvested in early January through a donation program in another county. All venison courses were reheated on site except the backstrap steaks, which were never frozen and were grilled rare to medium-rare. On February 1, an infectious diseases physician notified the health department of attendees with fever, headache, and myalgia without gastrointestinal symptoms. The caterer and food preparation site were investigated on February 5, and the first positive Toxoplasma gondii serology on February 7 prompted a press release and provider alert. Sixty-three attendees contacted the health department, of whom 30 (48%) sought medical care and 26 (41%) were tested. Specimens from 16 of the 26 (62%) could be forwarded to the Remington Laboratory for confirmatory testing; the remaining 10 (38%) were tested at non-reference laboratories only. Symptom onset ranged from 23 January to 8 February 2024. Among attendees with onset within a biologically plausible interval after the dinners, 15 (24%) were confirmed, 10 (16%) probable, and 16 (25%) suspect; one (2%) had evidence of past infection only. Two raw venison samples were PCR positive for T. gondii, tissue cysts were observed on histopathology, and genotyping identified haplogroup 12, associated with wildlife and more severe human disease. Wild game from donation programs should not enter commercial food service, and at-risk guests should be informed when it is served.Keywords.

Source: Open Forum Infectious Diseases

DOI: 10.1093/ofid/ofag596