Salmonella outbreak associated with Mary Pilgrim Inn in Seattle

Summary, updated May 13, 2025

Public Health investigated a Salmonella outbreak associated with Mary Pilgrim Inn, a supportive emergency housing site in Seattle. Many people became sick after eating food from two Mary Pilgrim Inn Christmas dinners on December 25, 2024, or leftovers on December 26, 2024. The food was prepared in a private home for Mary Pilgrim Inn clients, their guests and staff; it was not available to the public.

This outbreak appears to be over, and our investigation is complete. Mary Pilgrim Inn staff, management, and clients cooperated to help stop this outbreak.

Illnesses

Since December 30, 2024, at least 46 people got sick with symptoms like diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and stomach pains. Twenty-six of these people have tested positive for Salmonella.

Public Health actions

On December 31, 2024, we visited Mary Pilgrim Inn to talk with staff about how they prepared the food served at the Christmas dinners and shared suggestions to improve food safety in the kitchen.

We returned on January 3,7, and 16, 2025, to provide more guidance on cleaning and disinfecting surfaces throughout the building. We also gave specific advice on safe food handling, including proper handwashing and keeping food at the right temperatures.

We did not find any food safety issues from other sources at Mary Pilgrim Inn that could have contributed to this outbreak. We will continue working with Mary Pilgrim Inn and provide support as needed.

Laboratory testing

Of the 26 people who tested positive for Salmonella, 20 have the same strain based on DNA fingerprinting (whole genome sequencing or WGS).