Salmonella terror in 42 states: CDC

Washington, United States, January 8: Health authorities in the United States have started investigating a nationwide outbreak of Salmonella food poisoning that has reportedly sickened nearly 400 people in 42 state

Health officials are trying to trace the source of salmonella outbreak, which began in September.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention, the outbreak so far has sickened 388 people across 42 states, sending 18 percent of them to the hospital.

CDC is working with the Department of Agriculture, state health officials and the Food and Drug Administration to find out how the bacteria are spreading.

It is not known yet, which foods are involved or the source location of the bacteria, but CDC said poultry, cheese and eggs are the most common source of this particular strain, known as Salmonella typhimurium.

"It is often difficult to identify sources of foodborne outbreaks. People may not remember the foods they recently ate and may not be aware of all of the ingredients in food. That's what makes these types of investigations very difficult," said CDC spokesman David Daigle.

Daigle did not name the states or specify how many people were hospitalized, but Ohio officials say at least 50 people there have been sickened by salmonella since October, California officials reported 51 cases as of last week and Michigan had 20 cases.

"Because foods of animal origin may be contaminated with Salmonella, people should not eat raw or undercooked eggs, poultry, or meat. Persons also should not consume raw or unpasteurized milk or other dairy products. Produce should be thoroughly washed," he said.

Salmonella is a kind of rod-shaped Gram-negative enterobacteria that causes typhoid fever, paratyphoid fever and food-borne illnesses like bloody diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal paindefine. The bacteria can enter the human system through contaminated water or food such as meat or poultry, and eggs with cracked shells, and can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, weak or aged people, and others with deteriorated immune systems.

It can attack in as little time as 6 to 7 hours or take as long as 3 days, and the illness lasts four to seven days. Most people recover without treatment.

There are nearly 2,500 kinds of salmonella. The type in the recent outbreak was Salmonella typhimurium, which is one of the most common types. Salmonella outbreaks take place in tomatoes periodically. A 2004 outbreak that sickened more than 400 people was linked to tomatoes sold in Sheetz convenience stores.