Cucumbers grown in Baja, Mexico and distributed by a Californian company are being recalled after having been identified as the source of a salmonella outbreak that has reached 27 states, including New York.
Federal health investigators traced the pathogen-carrying cukes back to Andrew and Williamson Fresh Produce, a San Diego company, and specifically, its Limited Edition line. The company sells to Walmart, Costco, Olive Garden, Red Lobster, and Whole Foods, though the latter denied to the Staten Island Advance that it carries the perilous produce.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told the New York Times that the bacteria has reached 27 states, killing a 99-year-old San Diego woman and hospitalizing 53. In all, the cucumbers shipped to 22 states, 18 of which have reported infections.
Those 18 are: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas and Utah.
Four infections have also been reported in New York—it wasn't immediately clear where—as well as Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming, though none of the states received the cucumbers. They did ship to New Jersey, as well as Florida, Kentucky, and Mississippi, but no infections have shown up in those states.
The CDC explains salmonella this way:
Most people infected with Salmonella develop diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps between 12 and 72 hours after infection. The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days, and most individuals recover without treatment. In some cases, diarrhea may be so severe that the patient needs to be hospitalized. In these patients, the Salmonella infection may spread from the intestines to the blood stream, and then to other body sites. In these cases, Salmonella can cause death unless the person is treated promptly with antibiotics. The elderly, infants, and those with impaired immune systems are more likely to have a severe illness.
