Salmonella Outbreak In 25 States Linked to Cucumbers

Recalled cucumbers are linked to a Salmonella outbreak that has sickened dozens of people in 25 states, the Centers for Disease Control said this week. The outbreak has hospitalized 54 people and sickened more than 160, a CDC investigation notice published Wednesday said.

"Testing identified Salmonella in a cucumber collected as part of this investigation, which resulted in a recall. Further testing is underway to see if it is the same strain as the one making people sick. Investigators are also working to collect more information to see if other cucumbers are affected," the CDC said.

Fresh Start Produce Sales Inc. has issued a recall for its cucumbers, which they said were shipped in bulk cartons in late May directly to retail distribution centers, wholesalers, and food service distributors in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.

The recall began after the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture informed the company that a product sample tested positive for Salmonella bacteria. The FDA is now investigating if the sample is related to an ongoing Salmonella outbreak probe.

The CDC now says those cucumbers are linked to an outbreak in 25 states, spanning as far west as Texas. The states with the highest number of people who have fallen ill from the cucumbers include Pennsylvania, where 27 people have been sickened, New York (19), Florida (18) and Virginia (17).

Here are the impacted states (click here for more detail):

"Unfortunately, the company does not know the consumer points of sale because it does not ship to specific stores or point of purchase locations," a spokesperson for Fresh Start told Patch earlier this week. "The best way for consumers to be sure of whether they shop at a location that received the cucumbers is to ask their retailer or place of purchase."

The cucumbers are between 5 to 9 inches long and about 1.5 to 2 inches in diameter; mini cucumbers and English cucumbers are not included in the recall, officials added. Consumers should check with their retailer or place of purchase to determine whether the recalled cucumbers were sold at their store.

Consumers who have purchased the cucumbers should not eat them and businesses who purchased them should not sell them, the CDC warns.

Salmonella infection symptoms include fever, diarrhea and stomach cramps. Symptoms usually start six hours to six days after swallowing the bacteria. Most people recover within a week without medical treatment, according to the CDC.

"The cucumbers have a 10-12 day shelf life," the Fresh Start spokesperson added. "It has been thirteen days since they were shipped ... so it is unlikely that the cucumbers are available for sale or in consumers’ kitchens. However, if consumers are in doubt, they should not consume the recalled product."

Fresh Start Produce Sales has notified retailers and requested that they remove it from shelves, the FDA said. Consumers with questions can contact Fresh Start Produce Sales at 1-888-364-2993 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.