Salmonella Paratyphi B variant L(+) tartrate(+), the Salmonella type responsible for a current nine-state outbreak linked to raw tuna, was also responsible for a 2013 outbreak linked to raw tempeh that sickened 89 people.
The current outbreak includes cases reported from March 6 to May 5 and includes 53 patients, 10 of whom required hospitalization. Most of the patients reported eating sushi or other foods containing raw tuna before they became ill.
State and local health officials are not releasing the names of the establishments where the raw tuna was sold. They continue to look for a common thread among the cases reported from Arizona, New Mexico, California, Washington, Mississippi, Virginia, Wisconsin, Illinois and South Dakota.
In 2013, 89 people in five states were sickened after eating unpasteurized tempeh, a vegetarian protein, made by Smiling Hara in Buncombe County, North Carolina. Eighty three of those case patients, reported from February 29–May 8, 2012, were residents of North Carolina, sought medical care. Eight people were hospitalized.
Symptoms of a Salmonella infection include nausea, fever and diarrhea lasting for about week. After initial symptoms resolve, long-term complications can arise including reactive arthritis, heart disease, and high blood pressure.
