Area 18-year-old recovers from Salmonella infection

Across the US

This Salmonella outbreak is lasting an unusually long time, with a record 1,065 cases confirmed by Thursday – the first of whom fell sick April 10.

The toll far surpasses recent outbreaks of any foodborne disease: Salmonella linked to peanut butter in 2006 and hepatitis A from green onions in 2003.

The battered tomato industry estimates losses at $100 million.

An 18-year-old Douglas County man has fully recovered from the Salmonella infection he contracted after ingesting raw tomatoes and processed products somewhere in the county, according to an investigation conducted by the Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department.

The man, whose identity was not released, became ill June 14, a week after eating tomatoes suspected of being a source of infection from Salmonella Saintpaul bacteria – the common link in an outbreak that has sickened more than 1,000 people in 41 states since April.

The man did not recall eating any products that contained raw jalape̱o peppers, serrano peppers or cilantro Рvegetables recently added to a list of possible Salmonella sources, said Lisa Horn, a spokeswoman for the health department.

The man was the only member of his family to become sick.

“He was put on antibiotics, and was good to go a few days after that,” Horn said.

The man suffered “classic” symptoms of Salmonella infection, Horn said: headache, body ache, cramps and diarrhea. Unlike some who become infected, the man did not have a fever.

The man reported that he had not traveled outside of the county when he might have picked up the bacteria, which was confirmed through lab tests as being the same strain of Salmonella associated with the widespread infections that originally had led grocers, restaurants and others to pull raw red plum, red Roma, round red tomatoes and products containing those raw tomatoes from their shelves and menu offerings.

Since then, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared many such tomatoes from suspicion, provided they have been grown in specific areas. Tomatoes grown in Kansas are among those considered OK, and many grocers and restaurants have located distributors whose sources have been deemed safe.

The FDA has not issued any guidance for restaurants or grocers regarding sales of certain peppers or cilantro. But officials with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment say that infants, elderly people and anyone with an impaired immune system should not eat raw jalapeño peppers or raw serrano peppers.

Horn said that area health officials were unaware of any grocers or restaurants altering their offerings regarding peppers or cilantro.

For more information about the outbreak, and which tomatoes are considered safe to eat, visit www.fda.gov.