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This medical illustration depicts rod-shaped salmonella bacteria. The Alabama Department of Public Health is investigating an outbreak in Sheffield that has sickened at dozens. (CDC.gov)

Officials from the Alabama Department of Public Health report that at least 99 people have been sickened by Salmonella-tainted food served at a wedding in Colbert County.

The Decatur Daily has reported that the wedding happened on Nov. 12 in Sheffield.

The number of people who required hospitalization has grown to 22, although most have been discharged according to a health department statement released today.

About 150 people attended the wedding. Indelible Catering of Moulton provided food for the event and has since had its permit suspended by emergency order.

The same catering company was linked to an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness in 2014 that sickened 19, according to the Decatur Daily. The Alabama Department of Public Health could not determine whether the catered food caused the outbreak, according to the paper. One 71-year-old woman who fell ill died six days after the 2014 luncheon.

Preliminary results from a health department investigation found Salmonella enteriditis in specimens of cooked chicken and green beans served at the Nov. 12 wedding. Salmonella is often found in poultry that has not been cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees. The green beans could have picked up the bacteria through cross-contamination from using the same utensils, according to the health department statement.

The bacteria often causes diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever and lasts from four to seven days, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most people recover within a week, but the infection can cause severe illness and even death, particularly among the elderly, very young and those with health conditions.

The investigation into the Salmonella outbreak is ongoing, according to health officials.