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July 8, 2008


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NEWS

Case of Salmonella Confirmed in Carroll County

By Linda Bolton
linda@mckenziebanner.com

The Tennessee Department of Health has confirmed a case of Salmonella Saintpaul in Carroll County, according to an advisory from the TDOH.

Andrea Ewin Turner, Director of Communications and Media Relations with the TDOH, said the Carroll County patient became ill in late May and was hospitalized. The patient has since recovered. The local case and one in Wilson County was confirmed on June 25 as being Salmonella Saintpaul, the strain associated with the current Food and Drug Association advisory.

Turner declined to identify the local individual or details of their illness. At this point, she stated the department has not identified the suspect food, although the FDA is investigating tomatoes and other types of fresh produce in connection to the nation’s record Salmonella outbreak. Tomatoes remain the leading suspect.

The state’s eighth case of Salmonella Saintpaul, an uncommon type of Salmonella, was confirmed Monday. That case involves a resident of Davidson County, who is believed to have become ill in early June, but has recovered.

A county breakdown of diagnosed cases is as follows: Carroll County – 1, Davidson – 2, Rutherford – 1, Shelby – 1, Wilson – 1, and Williamson – 2.

Since mid April, there have been 943 reported cases of Salmonellosis nationwide with the same genetic fingerprint have been identified in 40 states, the District of Columbia and Canada. At least 130 hospitalizations have been reportedly. The ill person from Canada reported traveled to the United States and became ill on the day of the return trip to Canada.

Among the 645 persons with information available, illnesses began between April 10 and June 26, 2008, including 225 who became ill on June 1 or later. Many steps occur between a person becoming ill and the determination that the illness was caused by the outbreak strain of Salmonella; these steps take an average of 2-3 weeks. Therefore, an illness reported today may have begun 2-3 weeks ago. Patients range in age from <1 to 99 years; 50 percent are female. The rate of illness is highest among persons 20 to 29 years old; the rate of illness is lowest in children 10 to 19 years old and in persons 80 or more years old.

The FDA has issued a warning to consumers nationwide that the outbreak has been linked to consumption of some raw red plum, red Roma, round red tomatoes, and products containing these raw tomatoes.

Consumers should also be aware that raw tomatoes are often used in the preparation of fresh salsa, guacamole, and pico de gallo, are part of fillings for tortillas, and are used in other dishes.

Types of tomatoes not linked to any illnesses are cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes and tomatoes with the vine still attached.

Only three persons infected with this strain of Salmonella Saintpaul were identified in the country during the same period in 2007. The previous rarity of this strain and the distribution of illnesses in all U.S. regions suggest that the implicated food is distributed throughout much of the country. Since many people are not tested, it is likely that many more illnesses have occurred that those reported.

Recently, many clusters of illnesses have been identified in Texas and other states among persons who ate at restaurants. These clusters have led the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to broaden the investigation to be sure that it encompasses food items that are commonly consumed with tomatoes.

Salmonella sickens about 1.4 million people a year. Health officials say most people recover without treatment in four to seven days, although the illness can be fatal in young children, the elderly or people with weakened immune systems.

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July 8, 2008