Six new cases linked to salmonella tainted tomatoes were discovered today in New York City bringing the total of reported cases to 383 since the outbreak started on April 10.

There are now thirty states that have experienced salmonella outbreaks. New Hampshire and Pennsylvania reported their first cases this week.

Doctors at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta are not confident that the outbreak is over yet.

The Food and Drug Administration is having a difficult time trying the trace the source of the disease in part because many don’t report that they are ill or test results are late, delayed by backlogged and jammed laboratories.

In fact the tainted tomatoes may prove impossible to trace. By the time people fall ill, between two to three weeks after eating a bad tomato, the evidence is gone. Tomatoes also are not tagged making the retracing steps back it point of original production very difficult.

The exact stain of the disease is salmonella Saintpaul and the FDA is asking authorities to redouble their efforts to identify this specific strain.

The FDA still considers tomatoes from parts of Florida and Mexico as being the prime suspects for the tainted tomatoes. This is based on the fact that most tomatoes on the market were from those areas at the time when the outbreak was first discovered.

There is as yet no scientific evidence linking the regions with the outbreak.

The FDA strongly urges people to avoid raw red plum tomatoes, red Roma or red round tomatoes. If you are unsure of a tomatoes safety throw it out or return it to your local merchant. Salmonella will not survive if it is cooked at 145 degrees.

It is only the three types of tomatoes that are being reported as dangerous. Grape and Cherry Tomatoes as well as tomatoes with a vine still attached are safe as well as tomatoes that are garden grown or are produced locally.


Photograph Rene T. Flickr.com