A Salmonella outbreak linked to tahini sesame paste that sickened 16 people, killing one of them, was announced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) one year ago. Two rare strains os Salmonella were the source of illness, Salmonella Montevideo or Salmonella Mbandaka.
Texas was hardest hit by the outbreak, with seven cases. By state, the case count was as follows: California (1), Georgia (1), Iowa (1), Louisiana (1), Minnesota (2), New York (1), North Dakota (1), Texas (7), and Wisconsin (1).
Krinos issued a recall for the tahini sesame paste on April 28, 2013 for potential contamination with Salmonella. The recall was later expanded.
The Turkish importer of the sesame paste was placed on import alert by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on May 29, 2013, meaning the FDA can detain sesame paste from this importer unless the company can show that it is not contaminated with Salmonella.
Symptoms of a Salmonella infection include fever, diarrhea, and vomiting can last up to 10 days. But long-term health problems, such as reactive arthritis, inflammation of the heart, spine, tendons and eye membranes can also stem from these infections.
