At least 68 people, including 18 that needed to be treated at hospitals, have fallen ill across 19 states in a salmonella outbreak that may be linked to cucumbers, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday.
Federal officials announced they were investigating the outbreak believed to be tied to cucumbers grown by Agrotato, S.A. de C.V. in Sonora, Mexico, and sold by SunFed Produce, which is based in Arizona, and other importers. No deaths have been reported.
The C.D.C. said it was working with public health and regulatory officials in several states, including the Food and Drug Administration, to investigate the infections.
The cucumbers were sold in the United States and Canada, according to the F.D.A.
SunFed recalled all sizes of the product described as “whole fresh American cucumbers.”
Craig Slate, the president of SunFed, said in a statement that the company “immediately acted to protect consumers.”
“We are working closely with authorities and the implicated ranch to determine the possible cause,” he said.
The recalled cucumbers were sold in more than half the states between Oct. 12 and Nov. 26, according to SunFed, and they were shipped to the following states: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
SunFed said it’s possible that contaminated cucumbers also reached consumers through retailers in other states.
The cucumbers, which were packaged in bulk cardboard containers with the “SunFed” label or in a generic white box or black plastic crate with a sticker that provides the grower’s name, were also sold in the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, Calgary, Ontario and Saskatchewan.
The C.D.C. cautioned that “the true number of sick people in this outbreak is likely much higher than the number reported, and the outbreak may not be limited to the states with known illnesses.”
The agency advised consumers to look for a sticker that shows “SunFed Mexico” as the place where the cucumbers were grown and to throw away or return any recalled cucumbers.
The C.D.C. also advised consumers to throw out any cucumbers bought between Oct. 12 and Nov. 26 if they do not know where they were grown.
On Thursday, both Wegmans and Walmart alerted their customers to the recall. Walmart posted a list of the stores where the cucumbers were sold. Wegmans said that the recalled cucumbers were no longer on store shelves.
The latest recall came months after cucumbers contaminated with salmonella caused 551 illnesses in 34 states and the District of Columbia. That outbreak, which was traced back to cucumbers from Bedner Growers of Boynton Beach, Fla., and Thomas Produce Company, of Boca Raton, Fla., ended in late August, according to the C.D.C.
People often get sick with salmonellosis, the infection caused by the salmonella bacteria, after eating undercooked meat, but fruits and vegetables can also pose a risk.
Produce can be contaminated by pathogens that occur naturally in soil, or by water used for irrigation, which can be tainted with the feces of animals in nearby farms.
Produce can also be contaminated by workers or unclean surfaces or equipment in processing centers, or in distribution trucks. The germs can linger on fresh produce even after it has been carefully washed, but thoroughly rinsing it can reduce exposure to microorganisms.
An estimated 1.35 million people in the United States become sick because of salmonella each year. Infections from the bacteria — the most frequently reported cause of food-borne illness, according to the Department of Agriculture — can lead to symptoms such as fever, diarrhea and abdominal pain that may last for days.
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