Salmonella Outbreak

Posted by Judy Arbique Nov 4, 2006

Hot on the heels of an E. coli 0157 outbreak associated with spinach grown in 2 counties in California, comes a multi-state outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium. Salmonella Typhimurium causes fever and diarrhea that lasts about a week in those affected. The CDC reported yesterday that the outbreak peaked in mid to late-September and is now believed to be over. A total of 183 cases from 21 states in the U.S. was reported to the CDC, with 2 additional cases reported in Canada, one of which was known to be associated with travel to the U.S.

The CDC identified tomatoes consumed at restaurants as the source, all of which are believed to have been consumed or destroyed. Therefore, there are no recommendations to recall tomatoes from market or avoid buying tomatoes. Recommendations on purchasing, storing and preparing tomatoes and other produce are provided on the CDC website.