Salmonella outbreak in the U.S. gives health officials the run around

An outbreak of salmonella poisoning in the U.S. appears to have health authorities running around in ever decreasing circles.

The outbreak of Salmonella Saintpaul which has been linked to tomatoes, has made 851 sick since April, and the strain has infected people in 36 states and the District of Columbia.

The infections have been linked to some raw red plum, red Roma, round red tomatoes, and products containing these raw tomatoes and so far the investigations have been unable to pin down the exact source of the contamination.

Investigations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) along with public health officials and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have traced the source of some of the outbreaks to restaurants using the tomatoes but how they came to be contaminated remains a mystery.

The clusters of illnesses identified in Texas and other states among persons who ate at restaurants have led the authorities to broaden the investigation to include food items that are commonly consumed with tomatoes.

The illnesses began between April 10 and June 20, 2008, including 173 who became ill on June 1 or later - it takes an average of 2-3 weeks before the illness can be confirmed.

Victims' ages range from 1 to 99 years and 49% are female; while no deaths have been officially attributed to the outbreak, at least 105 people have been hospitalized and it is suspected that many more were affected.

During the same period in 2007 only 3 persons in the U.S. were infected with this strain of Salmonella Saintpaul.

The FDA have been able to trace the tomatoes down the distribution chain to certain farms in Mexico and Florida and teams are conducting joint inspections with regulators in Mexico and Florida at the farms, distribution points and other critical points on the supply chain where the tomatoes may have become contaminated.

Most people infected with Salmonella develop diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps 12-72 hours after infection - the illness usually lasts 4-7 days and most people recover without treatment.

However severe infections may occur and infants, elderly persons, and those with impaired immune systems are more likely than others to develop severe illness where antibiotic treatment may be necessary.

When severe infection occurs, Salmonella may spread from the intestines to the bloodstream and then to other body sites, and can cause death.