Tomato Salmonella Scare Over, Hot Pepper Scare Begins

The FDA announced today that one jalapeno pepper sample is a positive genetic match with the Salmonella Saintpaul strain causing the current Salmonella outbreak.

According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1,251 people with Salmonella Saintpaul with the same genetic fingerprint have been identified in 43 states, the District of Columbia and Canada since April 2008.

Jalapeno peppers could now be contaminated with Salmonella Saintpaul. (Photo credit unknown)

The positive sample was obtained during an FDA inspection at a produce distribution center in McAllen, Texas. The pepper was grown on a farm in Mexico, but the agency says that does not mean that the pepper was contaminated in Mexico.

The produce distribution center, Agricola Zaragoza, is working with the FDA to voluntarily recall jalapeno peppers the company distributed since June 30.

Since a recall will not immediately remove all potentially tainted peppers from the food supply, the FDA also is asking consumers to avoid eating raw jalapeno peppers or foods made from raw jalapeno peppers until further notice in order to prevent illness. This recommendation does not include cooked or pickled jalapeno peppers.

Discovery of the positive jalapeno pepper sample was the result of several weeks of investigation by FDA scientists and field staff. They examined traceback data from the locations where there were clusters of food-borne illness, scrutinized distribution records and collected environmental samples from water, soil, work surfaces and packing boxes throughout the entire chain of production and distribution.

As a result of this investigation, the FDA has determined that "fresh tomatoes now available in the domestic market are not associated with the current outbreak.

The FDA, working with officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state and local health departments, is now following epidemiological and other evidence showing that raw jalapeño and raw serrano peppers now available in the domestic market may be linked to illnesses in this outbreak.

Health officials advise that people in high risk populations, such as elderly persons, infants and people with impaired immune systems, avoid eating raw serrano peppers or food made from raw serrano peppers until further notice.

Most foods contaminated with Salmonella do not taste or look any different than usual.

The FDA is continuing to investigate the other parts of the distribution chain to determine if there is any evidence that the contamination occurred on the farm in which the pepper was grown or at some other point in the supply chain before the distribution center in McAllen, Texas.

Most people infected with Salmonella develop fever, diarrhea, and abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours after exposure. Although illness usually lasts four to seven days and most people recover without treatment, severe illness may occur that requires medical attention and hospitalization, the CDC warns. In these patients, the Salmonella infection can spread from the intestines to the bloodstream and then to other body sites. In this situation, the infection can cause death unless the patient is treated promptly with antibiotics.

Salmonella is not a rare infection. In 2004, the CDC estimated that there are about 1.4 million illnesses, 15,000 hospitalizations, and 400 deaths from Salmonella infection in the United States every year. About 40,000 of those infections are confirmed each year by isolation of the Salmonella strain.

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