Major Salmonella outbreak linked to restaurant tomatoes
Pastor Dale Morgan
Major S**almonella outbreak linked to restaurant tomatoes*
Posted 11/4/2006 5:05 PM ET
WASHINGTON (AP) — Contaminated fresh tomatoes served in restaurants were
the cause of a recent salmonella outbreak that sickened dozens of people
in 21 states, health officials said Friday.
The outbreak, now over, sickened at least 183 people, according to the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There were no reports of
deaths, although 22 people were hospitalized. Interviews with victims,
including detailed surveys of what they had eaten and where before
falling sick, led investigators to suspect restaurant tomatoes as the cause.
"We have identified tomatoes eaten in restaurants as the cause of this
outbreak. We don't have any information that a name or a certain type of
restaurant is involved. As far as we can tell, it's across the board,"
said Dr. Christopher Braden, a foodborne outbreak and surveillance
expert with the CDC.
The Food and Drug Administration has begun probing the source of the
contaminated tomatoes, said Dr. David Acheson, chief medical officer of
the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.
The cases of illness peaked in late September, leading officials to
believe the outbreak is now over.
"We don't believe there is a need to issue a specific warning to
consumers regarding the consumption of tomatoes," Acheson said.
Outbreaks of salmonella in tomatoes occur periodically. A 2004 outbreak,
linked to tomatoes sold in Sheetz convenience stores, sickened more than
400 people.
The states involved in the latest outbreak are: Alabama, Arkansas,
Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan,
Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania,
Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.
There also were two cases reported in Canada.
The salmonella cases came on the heels of an E. coli outbreak, caused by
tainted spinach from California, that killed three people and sickened
more than 200 others.