Investigators looking
beyond tomatoes
The FDA and CDC are looking beyond tomatoes in their investigation of the ongoing Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 179 people have become sick since June 1.
"The general issue is that cases continue to be reported that have relatively recent onsets," said Dr. Robert Tauxe, deputy director of the foodborne, bacterial, and mycotic diseases division of the CDC. Tauxe said that several of the new cases have been clustered among people who became sick after eating at the same restaurants. The expanded investigation will look closely at these clusters.
Officials have also activated the Food Emergency Response Network (FERN) to expand the number of state and local labs participating in the testing process. The FDA is asking labs across the country to join the investigation and expand the volume and types of food they are testing.
Although officials are broadening the scope of their investigation, they said tomatoes continue to be the primary focus. Tauxe said about 80 percent of the sick people questioned in the primary investigation reported becoming ill after eating raw tomatoes.
Health officials originally linked the outbreak to raw plum, Roma and round tomatoes, and said the message to consumers remains the same. A list of tomato-growing states that have been cleared by health officials is posted on the FDA website at http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/tomatoes.html.
Salmonella Saintpaul, the strain involved in the outbreak, is rare, CDC officials said. Typically, the CDC sees only about 400 cases of Saintpaul infections in humans each year.
Salmonella can cause fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain, according to the FDA.
David Acheson, M.D., the FDA's food safety director, refused to name the other possible salad-bowl suspects, although he did confirm that evidence uncovered over the weekend persuaded the FDA and CDC to widen the search.
The number of confirmed Salmonella serotype Saintpaul cases now stands at 869, with 107 hospitalizations.
