Salmonella

A mysterious national outbreak of salmonella may have made its way to North Carolina, according to state health officials. At least 14 North Carolinians across the state have been sickened by the bacteria. No one has been hospitalized, said state epidemiologist Dr. Jeff Engel. This week, state lab results confirmed eight new cases since early this month, Engel said, and the number of cases is expected to rise as more lab results come back. The cases have put North Carolina in a key role in investigating the outbreak, which has sickened more than 1,000 people in the United States and Canada since April. The cause is still unknown. More than 200 people across the country have been hospitalized for severe gastrointestinal problems, Engel said. Nationally, many of those sickened have eaten in Mexican restaurants. Tomatoes, jalapeno peppers and cilantro are suspected culprits, but no tainted produce has yet been found.
In North Carolina, Engel said interviews with those sickened have uncovered two people who ate at the same Mecklenburg County Mexican restaurant. State officials are tracking down other customers of the restaurant to check for illness and sampling dozens of foods that the restaurant served. Joe Reardon, director of the state Department of Agriculture's food and drug protection division, said his staff is spending more than 12 hours a day testing 42 products that were served in the restaurant. He said test results are expected this week. He is hoping that by testing everything in the restaurant, North Carolina can finally pinpoint the source of an outbreak that has baffled national investigators. (Kristin Collins, THE NEWS & OBSERVER, 7/12/08).