Salmonella Tied to Raw Tomatoes
An outbreak of salmonella food poisoning first linked to raw tomatoes in Texas and New Mexico is now being reported in nine states, according to U.S. health officials.
Lab tests confirmed 40 illnesses in Texas and New Mexico as the same type of salmonella, right down to the genetic fingerprint, according to an Associated Press report. Texas and New Mexico health authorities and the Indian Health Service have tied those cases to uncooked large tomatoes.
Of those taken ill, 17 people in Texas and New Mexico have required hospitalization; none have died, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The very same strain of Salmonella Saintpaul is responsible for an additional 30 illnesses in Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Idaho, Illinois and Indiana. The CDC is investigating if raw tomatoes are responsible for the illnesses in those states too.