Pulse News and notes on health, medicine and fitness SHARE

By of the

Federal health officials are investigating a growing outbreak of salmonella possibly linked to spicy tuna roll sushi that has sickened 90 people in 19 states and the District of Columbia, including Wisconsin, according to a Food and Drug Administration memo.

The outbreak is “rapid and expanding in number of cases,” with seven hospitalizations reported so far. Six restaurant clusters, including two in Wisconsin, have been identified as possible sources, according to a memo distributed to FDA staff Tuesday morning. No deaths have been reported to date.

The majority of the cases are clustered on the eastern seaboard and the Gulf coast, but the outbreak include cases as far west as Missouri and Texas.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has characterized the outbreak as ongoing and rapidly expanding in the number of cases, particularly due to a typical 30-day reporting lag between time of illness and reporting to health officials.



The most common symptoms of salmonella are diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever within eight to 72 hours of eating the contaminated food. The illness can be life-threatening in people with weakened immune systems.

"The CDC postulates that sushi is the likely source of this outbreak, with spicy tuna roll sushi highly suspect," the FDA memo says. "FDA continues to evaluate data collected by States and FDA district offices, focusing on 6 restaurant clusters (Texas, Wisonsin [2], Maryland, Rhode Island and Connecticut) identified to date."



FDA traceback efforts continue to analyze information on menu items consumed, ingredients, brands, preparation, and suppliers, particularly cases associated with restaurant clusters, in an effort to identify the specific suspect vehicle, according to the memo.



