Patient count in Salmonella outbreak traced to cucumbers hits 100; investigation ongoing

The number of patients in an outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium infections traced to cucumbers from Mexico has jumped from 68 to 100.

The implicated cucumbers, distributed by importers SunFed Produce, Baloian Farms and Russ Davis Wholesale, have been recalled and should no longer be available for sale. A number of products containing cucumbers, such as deli trays and salads, have also been recalled. Click here for a list of recalled products.

The Food and Drug Administration reports that 100 people have been confirmed in the outbreak. They are spread across 23 states. Of 90 people for whom information is available, 25 have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported. 

Of 67 people interviewed so far, 54 remembered eating cucumbers before becoming ill. Illnesses started on dates ranging from Oct. 12 to Nov. 23. The patients rang in age from 1 to 98 years old.

There are likely many more outbreak patients than have been confirmed. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that for every Salmonella infection confirmed in an outbreak, there are 29 patients who go unconfirmed. This is because some patients do not seek medical treatment and others are not specifically tested for Salmonella. 

The CDC has identified seven illness sub-clusters at three assisted living facilities, three school districts, and one restaurant.

“An illness sub-cluster is a group of unrelated people who all ate at the same location or event, such as a restaurant, long-term care facility, or school. Investigating sub-clusters can help identify a food item eaten by all the sick people that could be the source of the outbreak. Cucumbers were served at these seven sub-cluster locations,” according to the CDC.

The implicated grower is “Agrotato, S.A. de C.V.,” The recalled cucumbers were sold from Oct. 12 through Nov. 26.

The whole fresh American cucumbers were shipped to customers in the states of Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, Calgary, Saskatchewan and Ontario.

The cucumbers may have been further distributed.

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