The Setup
When the initial information about the afflicted persons came in, supposedly due to the tomato-related Salmonellosis, the serious cases were alleged to be salsa-, guacamole- and/or picante-related. While this was later translated to being due to tomatoes, what if it isn’t?
Why is this little detail so important? Because the number of cases continues to escalate despite the FDA’s and CDC’s attempts to identify and shut down any tomato-based sources for the Salmonellosis.
As of June 29, the updated reported numbers from the CDC are as follows:
Since April, 851 persons infected with Salmonella Saintpaul with the same genetic fingerprint have been identified in 36 states and the District of Columbia. These were identified because clinical laboratories in all states send Salmonella strains from ill persons to their State public health laboratory for characterization. The number of ill persons identified in each state is as follows: Arkansas (10 persons), Arizona (39), California (10), Colorado (11), Connecticut (4), Florida (1), Georgia (18), Idaho (3), Illinois (91), Indiana (11), Kansas (14), Kentucky (1), Maine (1), Maryland (29), Massachusetts (21), Michigan (6), Minnesota (2), Missouri (12), New Hampshire (3), Nevada (4), New Jersey (4), New Mexico (90), New York (26), North Carolina (5), Ohio (6), Oklahoma (19), Oregon (10), Pennsylvania (8), Rhode Island (3), Tennessee (6), Texas (346), Utah (2), Virginia (22), Vermont (2), Washington (4), Wisconsin (6), and the District of Columbia (1).
In comparison, in our previous Attack of the Killer Tomatoes update, the CDC’s 6/23/2008 infected patient count is 613 persons since tracking began in April 2008.
The Mystery Deepens
While assembling the research for “The Tomato Wars 2” story, I was curious about how the CDC and FDA were searching for the Salmonellosis source. Because, instead of tomatoes, what if it was due to at least one of the other components that you typically find in salsa and/or picante sauces? Things like garlic, onions, spring onions, hot and/or mild peppers, cilantro… any of these things could certainly harbor microorganisms. And, in fact, there is some activity in this avenue of inquiry (according to AP).
And, on another front, what if the tomatoes under suspicion are somehow still in circulation because they are getting repackaged over and over and redistributed to unsuspecting customers?
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