Salmonella outbreak linked to peanut butter

The cause of a national outbreak of salmonella typhimurium which has infected 399 people in 42 states is still unknown, but state officials in Minnesota are certain enough that a brand of peanut butter sold primarily to nursing homes, hospitals and schools is the culprit that they've issued a warning advising state establishments not to use it.The Minnesota Department of Agriculture and Dept. of Health on Friday issued the product advisory for King Nut creamy peanut butter after preliminary testing found the presence of salmonella in a 5-pound container of the sandwich spread. The brand is primarily used in schools, hospitals, long-term care facilities and restaurants, according to the Dept. of Health.
/ h4 Q" O1 u+ r" i" o"We pulled the sample peanut butter from one of the nursing homes that had ill patients connected to this outbreak," says Doug Schultz of the state's Dept. of Health.
DNA fingerprint tests that could confirm whether the salmonella found in the peanut butter is the same strain that's caused illnesses across the United States won't be finished until Monday or Tuesday, says Schultz.
; A" N: ~5 D* i& ?* RBut the epidemiological evidence is strong, he says.
"We have 30 illnesses in Minnesota that are connected to the outbreak strain and all of those 30 illnesses report eating some type of peanut butter and many if not most of them have been connected to this King Nut brand," Schultz says.
5 X1 A$ i2 E4 PTen of Minnesota's cases were in nursing homes, and most of the other 20 were in schools or hospitals, he says. "We felt it was important to get the word out so if there are institutions that have this peanut butter, they wouldn't use it."
  n7 q/ ~# m: d2 a- P. uMinnesota is working with the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to track the outbreak, which first began in mid-October. Minnesota's Dept. of Health, home of the "Team Diarrhea" investigation squad, is known nationally for the quality of its public health and epidemiology work.
According to the CDC, California has the largest number of cases, at 55, followed Ohio, 53, Massachusetts, 39, Minnesota, 30 and Michigan 20.
Salmonella can cause diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps and generally lasts 4 to 7 days. Most people recover without medical attention but in the very young, the very old and those with impaired immune systems it can develop into a severe illness.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-01-10-salmonella_N.htm