Area salmonella case linked to peanut butter

One of the two salmonella cases reported in Ingham County last week has been tied to the nationwide outbreak caused by tainted peanut butter.

The Ingham County Health Department said Friday that lab results confirmed one of the salmonella strains in Ingham County matched the strain that has sickened 529 people in 43 states as of Wednesday.

The sickened person, whose name, age and residence has not been released, was not hospitalized and has made a full recovery, said Marcus Cheatham, an assistant deputy health officer for the department. The person was not an MSU student.

Health department officials confirmed the two salmonella cases Jan. 21, but results comparing the strains to the national outbreak were not available until Friday because of a laboratory backlog.

Cheatham said the county has not received any salmonella reports since last week. He added the likelihood of receiving another report is diminishing because many peanut butter products have been pulled from stores after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a warning.

The salmonella outbreak has been tied to a Georgia-based peanut corporation no longer producing peanut butter products.