FDA suspects new foods of salmonella

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Speculation now surrounds raw jalapeno peppers and cilantro, in addition to previously suspected tomatoes, as causes of the nationwide salmonella outbreak that first began in April.

As of Thursday, 1,065 cases of the salmonella strain had been reported nationwide. The first person fell sick April 10 and the last June 26.

A study of the June cases of the Salmonella Saintpaul strain by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that those infected were more likely to have eaten raw jalapeno peppers or fresh cilantro as well, The Associated Press reported.

“We usually don’t use cilantro,” said Andrea Martinez, a manager at El Azteco, 225 Ann St.

“There’s no plans for the jalapeno because we’re not aware of any recall.”

Last month the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned consumers to avoid eating certain types of raw tomatoes, leading some East Lansing restaurants and MSU residence halls to pull those types off the line.

“We’ve been told our produce is safe from where we get it from,” Martinez said. She added that she had not heard of any East Lansing restaurants removing the items from their menus.

“It seems like wherever I’ve gone (in Michigan), there’s been tomatoes,” she said.

The Michigan Department of Community Health is expected to receive news Friday afternoon of additional cases of salmonella reported in Michigan, said James McCurtis Jr., a Department of Community Health spokesman.

“We are waiting to hear from the Center for Disease Control to see if (Michigan) had new cases,” McCurtis said. “Right now in Michigan we have four cases of salmonella. None of them were in the East Lansing/Lansing area.”

The Department of Community Health is working with the federal government to determine the cause of the salmonella, he said.

“(Friday) we should have more information,” he said.

The department will issue a release on its Web site, he added.

Salmonella is a bacteria that lives in the intestinal tract and is transmitted to humans by eating foods contaminated with animal feces. The illness usually lasts four to seven days and symptoms include fever, diarrhea and abdominal cramps starting 12 to 72 hours after infection.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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