Investigators have linked untreated canal water to a salmonella outbreak that sickened nearly 500 people across the U.S., including nine people in Michigan.
As of July 1, 2024, a total of 449 people have been infected with salmonella across 31 states and the District of Columbia. People have been infected with Salmonella Africana and Salmonella Braenderup. Officials said 215 people were infected with the newly added Salmonella Braenderup. Of the 188 people interviewed, 129 (69%) reported eating cucumbers.
During an onsite inspection at at Bedner Growers, Inc., a grower that supplies Fresh Start Produce Sales, Inc., the FDA found Salmonella Braenderup in samples of untreated canal water used by Bedner.
Further analysis determined that the salmonella found in the water matched a strain that is causing some illnesses in the outbreak. Additional types of salmonella were detected in soil and water samples collected at Bedner and the CDC and FDA are looking to see if those strains have also caused illness in people.
The FDA said Bedner’s cucumber growing and harvesting season is over and there is no product from the farm on the market. They also said Bedner does not account for all the illnesses in the outbreak.
Which cucumbers were recalled?
Fresh Start Produce Sales Inc. out of Delray, Florida, recalled whole cucumbers shipped in bulk cartons from May 17 through May 21, 2024. They were sent to retail distribution centers, wholesalers, and food service distributors in 14 states.
Michigan is not among the list of states where cucumbers were originally shipped, but sellers may have shipped them to Michigan or re-packaged them for stores. The list of states includes Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.
The cucumbers should no longer be in stores and is past shelf life. The recall did not include English cucumbers or mini cucumbers.
What should you do?
The CDC said that people should not eat any recalled cucumbers. If you don’t know where you purchased the cucumbers you should throw them away. Wash items and surfaces that may have come in contact with the recalled cucumbers using hot soapy water or a dishwasher.
Symptoms of salmonella
Salmonella are a group of bacteria that can cause gastrointestinal illness and fever called salmonellosis.
Most people infected with salmonella will begin to develop symptoms 12 to 72 hours after infection. The illness usually lasts four to seven days and most people recover without treatment.
Symptoms include diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps. More severe cases of salmonellosis may include a high fever, aches, headaches, lethargy, a rash, blood in the urine or stool, and in some cases may become fatal.
Children younger than five, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems are more likely to have severe salmonellosis infections.