Salmonella poisoning connected to Mexican cucumbers
Salmonella bacteria linked to Mexican cucumbers has infected more than 70 people in 18 states.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday while no deaths have been reported, more than a quarter of the cases have required hospitalization. People in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin have been infected, with California having the majority of the cases.
The products in question were produced by the Daniel Cardenas Izabal and Miracle Greenhouse of Culiacán, Mexico, which the Food and Drug Administration has put on alert. There is no current evidence that affected cucumbers are still on sale, but because it takes time from when a person becomes ill and when the illness is reported, there may be some additional cases out there.
The majority of people who were sick because of this outbreak contracted their illness between Jan. 12 and April 6, 2013.
Salmonella bacteria causes an infection called salmonellosis, which can cause someone who ingests the bacteria to have diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours after infection. The illness lasts between four to seven days, and often can resolve itself without treatment. However, the elderly, infants and those with impaired immune systems are more likely to have sever forms of the illness, which can require hospitalization and result in death in some cases.
About 42,000 cases of salmonellosis are reported each year in the U.S., but there may be more cases that are just not reported, the CDC reported.
