Three Texas residents are part of the Salmonella outbreak that has sickened 100 people in 19 states, but this isn’t the first time Texas has had reported cases of the unusual outbreak strain Salmonella Bareilly.
From 2009-2011, an average of 14 cases of Salmonella Bareilly were reported annually to the Texas Department of State Health Service, Chris Van Deusen, Assistant Press Officer, told Food Poisoning Bulletin. The most recent case, prior to the current investigation, was in December 2011, he said.
State and federal officials have been investigating the outbreak since January, but have been unable to determine a source. In interviews with investigators, case patients in several states reported eating sushi, sashimi and other foods made with raw fish, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Texas is not releasing information about the three case patients involved in the outbreak, except to say that they became ill between mid-February and mid-March, and none of them was hospitalized, Van Deusen said.
Symptoms of Salmonella poisoning include nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, fever and diarrhea, which can sometimes be bloody. Symptoms usually develop six to 72 hours after exposure and last up to seven days, according to the CDC.
