Salmonella outbreak prompts FDA tomato warning CONTRA COSTA COUNTY

Health officials warned consumers Sunday about an outbreak of salmonella in raw tomatoes, after the illness of one woman in Contra Costa County and 144 other infections nationwide.

The source of the tomatoes is still unknown, but officials believe that large tomatoes, including Roma and round red, are carrying the strain, Salmonella sereotype Saintpaul, that has infected 145 people since mid-April. Red plum tomatoes also may be affected, according to a statement by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The FDA is recommending limiting raw tomato consumption to those that are not the likely source of the outbreak, including cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, tomatoes sold with their vine attached and homegrown tomatoes.

No one has died from the recent outbreak, though at least 23 people have been hospitalized. The majority of the infections have occurred in New Mexico and Texas, but cases also have been reported in Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Utah, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.

The Contra Costa resident was not identified, but county health officials said Friday she is older than 35, did not have to be hospitalized and has recovered. Investigators are working to determine whether the woman contracted the illness locally or elsewhere. She recently traveled to a state where several other cases have been reported, according a release issued by Contra Costa Health Services spokeswoman Kate Fowlie.

The department's communicable disease program chief, Francie Wise, sought to downplay the significance of the illness in a statement released Friday, noting that the county normally averages about 123 cases every year.

Nevertheless, officials of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement Saturday that only three people were known to be infected with this particular strain of salmonella in 2007. Because the strain was so rare in past years, officials believe that the infected tomatoes were distributed through much of the United States, and that there are probably many more infections than the 145 reported.

Salmonella is characterized by diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps that occur within 12 to 72 hours of infection. The illness lasts four to seven days and is usually diagnosed by culturing a stool sample. While most people do not need treatment, the disease can be dangerous to infants, elderly people and those with impaired immune systems. Officials recommend consulting a health care provider if diarrhea lasts longer than two days in an adult, one day in a child younger than 4, or eight hours in an infant.