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Multi-State Salmonella Outbreak Under Investigation

By Pritzker | Ruohonen

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), along with health officials from several states, is trying to identify the source of an outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium that has sickened more than 300 people.

Reports varied slightly Wednesday on the scope of the outbreak. USA Today, which talked to CDC Deputy Chief of Enteric Diseases Frederick Angulo, reported that 388 people in 42 states have been made ill over the past three months. Some have been sent to the hospital, the newspaper reported.

The Ohio Department of Health issued a press release saying that Ohio ranks second in the nation for number of confirmed cases in the outbreak with 50. In Ohio, the first known illnesses originated in October.

Ohio officials said they were participating in the CDC's multi-state investigation to find the cause of the outbreak. The cases match each other by their DNA fingerprint, the Ohio Department of Health said.

Angulo told USA Today that the "lead hypothesis'' is chicken, but he added that it could be hard to prove or trace back because so many people eat chicken.

Doug Schultz, a spokesman for the Minnesota Department of Health, told the Center for Infectious Disease Research & Policy (CIDRAP) that Minnesota has 30 cases linked to the national outbreak. More are expected. Schultz told CIDRAP that Minnesota is helping to look for a cause to the outbreak and has a team of researchers conducting case-control studies.

Consumption of food contaminated by Salmonella bacteria can cause Salmonellosis. Symptoms of the disease include non-bloody diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours after infection. The illness usually lasts four to seven days, and most people recover without treatment.

In rare cases, diarrheal illness from Salmonella infection can be serious enough to require hospitalization. Although very rare, some cases of Salmonellosis have led to death in some patients. There are many different types of Salmonella bacteria. Salmonella Typhimurium is considered common, but it can cause Typhoid Fever.

Full post as published by Food Poisoning Law Blog on January 07, 2009 (boomark / email).