FLORIDA & MEXICO? In the past two months more than 550 people across the United States have been infected with the Salmonella saintpaul bacteria. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) expects to find the source of the infection among growers in either Central Florida or Mexico.

The FDA and food safety regulators are inspecting farms and distribution points in Florida and Mexico for tomatoes grown there in April. The agency is also working with officials in Texas to trace the state's cluster of 265 salmonella cases. The FDA urged consumers to ask suppliers where their tomatoes were grown and to use safe handling procedures for all fresh produce.

Salmonella Outbreak: Quick Facts

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continue to gather statistics for the current outbreak. Here are the numbers to date for Salmonella saintpaul:

*A Texas man who died of cancer also had a Salmonella saintpaul infection, which may have contributed to his death.

How Did Salmonella Contaminate Tomatoes?

Salmonella bacteria are found in the feces of many animals, such as...

• reptiles
• amphibians
• birds
• livestock (cows, pigs, sheep)
• pets (cats and dogs)
• humans

The saintpaul strain of salmonella may have contaminated tomatoes in one of three ways:

1. Freshly picked tomatoes immersed in contaminated water—Salmonella entered tomatoes through their stem scars.
2. Tomato flowers watered with contaminated water—Salmonella incorporated into the growing tomatoes.
3. Harvested tomatoes contaminated when they were sliced—Salmonella on tomatoes' surface transferred to the flesh inside. If the cut tomatoes weren't refrigerated soon enough (see sidebar) the bacteria multiplied to dangerous levels.

Contamination can occur anywhere along the distribution chain, which includes the following:

• field
• packing shed
• warehouse
• supplier chain (trucks, train cars)
• distribution centers (grocery stores and other retailers, restaurants)

David Acheson, a top FDA food safety official, confirmed that all the above possibilities are being investigated. "Now [that] we know the pathways those tomatoes have traveled," he said, "we're looking all along those pathways." (Washington Post, 6/21/08)

Salmonellosis Riskiest for Children, Elders

Salmonella saintpaul is fairly rare, and infected only three people last year. On the other hand, salmonellosis—infection caused by any strain of salmonella—is quite common.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provided the following salmonellosis statistics for the United States as of 2004:

Children are diagnosed with salmonellosis about five times more often than adults. Serious complications from the disease especially threaten these three groups:

• young children
• elderly people
• immunocompromised people

Original Story

Restaurants, Grocery Stores Pull Tomatoes Linked to Salmonella Outbreak

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