Dead in Oklahoma From Multistate Salmonella Outbreak

CDC collaborated with public health officials in many states and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to investigate a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Saintpaul infections linked to imported cucumbers supplied by Daniel Cardenas Izabal and Miracle Greenhouse of Culiacán, Mexico and distributed by Tricar Sales, Inc. of Rio Rico, Arizona.

The outbreak, first announced by the Centers for Disease Control in September, has killed four people and sickened 732 in 35 states. One person has died in Oklahoma, adding to the death toll of one person each in Arizona, California, and Texas. In all, 150 people have been hospitalized as a result of the outbreak, and one-half of the patients are children. Four deaths have been attributed to the outbreak, according to the CDC.

The cucumber in question is often known as a slicer or an American cucumber, and the recalled versions were grown in the Mexican state of Baja California. It can take up to a week from the time people eat food contaminated with Salmonella before they get sick. The government did not link the outbreak to the A&W cucumbers for several weeks after the illnesses began. It is typically dark green and seven to 10 inches long. Unlabeled cucumbers packed into a black reusable plastic container, and sold in Nevada since August.

Salmonella are bacteria that can cause diarrhea, fever, vomiting and abdominal cramps.

California has the highest number of salmonella cases, 192, followed by Arizona, 114, according to the CDC.

If you ate cucumbers in the last three months and have suffered the symptoms of a Salmonella infection, see your doctor. And, he adds, it’s safer to assume that your entire cucumber may be infected.