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Food Poisoning Tied to Tomatoes Spreads
AP via NY Times ^ | June 8, 2008 | Anon

Posted on 06/08/2008 3:49:11 AM PDT by Pharmboy

ALBUQUERQUE (AP) — Salmonella food poisoning first linked to uncooked tomatoes has spread to 16 states, federal health officials said Saturday.

Investigations by the health departments of Texas and New Mexico and the federal Indian Health Service have tied 56 cases in Texas and 55 in New Mexico to raw, uncooked tomatoes.

“We’re seeing a steady increase,” said Deborah Busemeyer, the communications director for the New Mexico Department of Health.

An additional 50 people have been sickened by the same salmonella infection in Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Oklahoma, Oregon, Utah, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.

Investigators are trying to determine if raw tomatoes are also responsible for the illnesses in those states, said Arleen Porcell, a spokeswoman for the C.D.C.

The source of the tomatoes responsible for the illnesses has not been determined.

At least 23 people have been hospitalized, and no deaths have been reported, Ms. Porcell said.

The rarity of the salmonella strain and the number of illnesses “suggest that implicated tomatoes are distributed throughout the country,” she said.

Cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, tomatoes sold with the vine still attached and homegrown tomatoes are likely not the source of the outbreak, Ms. Busemeyer said.

Salmonella, snip...usually is transmitted to humans who eat food contaminated with animal feces.

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Front Page News; News/Current Events; US: New Mexico; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: food; foodpoisoning; health; poison; salmonella; tomatoes
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To: Homer_J_Simpson

Glad to hear a door opened for ya.

Perseverance.


121 posted on 06/09/2008 2:58:41 PM PDT by Global2010 (OKIE DOKIE)
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To: Alia

Link?

Factoid?

I eat tomatoes like mad.
If we get a good local produce year I eat them for a month straight as my primary food.

Now the last time my GI doctor went up with the big rubber hose and took pics for my educational self care he did not go into a shock and awe over tomato skins.

And if ya really want to get graphic........


122 posted on 06/09/2008 5:38:07 PM PDT by Global2010 (OKIE DOKIE)
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To: Pharmboy

what’s the deal? how did sal get all over the damaters?


123 posted on 06/09/2008 7:55:17 PM PDT by Coleus (Abortion and Physician-assisted Murder (aka-Euthanasia), Don't Democrats just kill ya?)
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To: Global2010
lol. I'm not the one who made the assertion. Like you, I eat my tomato produce like crazy, too. Can, freeze, sauce, whole, grilled, stewed.

(grin): For all you and the doctor know, your entire GI tract may be one long tomato skin protecting you from ulcers and invasive bugs.

124 posted on 06/10/2008 4:06:48 AM PDT by Alia
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To: Coleus; All
PLoS ONE. 2008 Feb 27;3(2):e1657.

Role of soil, crop debris, and a plant pathogen in Salmonella enterica contamination of tomato plants.

Barak JD, Liang AS. Produce Safety and Microbiology Research Unit, Western Regional Research Center (WRRC), Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Albany, California, USA. jbarak@pw.usda.gov

BACKGROUND: In the U.S., tomatoes have become the most implicated vehicle for produce-associated Salmonellosis with 12 outbreaks since 1998. Although unconfirmed, trace backs suggest pre-harvest contamination with Salmonella enterica. Routes of tomato crop contamination by S. enterica in the absence of direct artificial inoculation have not been investigated.
METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: This work examined the role of contaminated soil, the potential for crop debris to act as inoculum from one crop to the next, and any interaction between the seedbourne plant pathogen Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria and S. enterica on tomato plants. Our results show S. enterica can survive for up to six weeks in fallow soil with the ability to contaminate tomato plants. We found S. enterica can contaminate a subsequent crop via crop debris; however a fallow period between crop incorporation and subsequent seeding can affect contamination patterns. Throughout these studies, populations of S. enterica declined over time and there was no bacterial growth in either the phyllosphere or rhizoplane. The presence of X. campestris pv. vesicatoria on co-colonized tomato plants had no effect on the incidence of S. enterica tomato phyllosphere contamination. However, growth of S. enterica in the tomato phyllosphere occurred on co-colonized plants in the absence of plant disease.
CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: S. enterica contaminated soil can lead to contamination of the tomato phyllosphere. A six week lag period between soil contamination and tomato seeding did not deter subsequent crop contamination. In the absence of plant disease, presence of the bacterial plant pathogen, X. campestris pv. vesicatoria was beneficial to S. enterica allowing multiplication of the human pathogen population. Any event leading to soil contamination with S. enterica could pose a public health risk with subsequent tomato production, especially in areas prone to bacterial spot disease.

125 posted on 06/10/2008 5:52:26 AM PDT by Pharmboy (Democrats lie because they must.)
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To: Pharmboy
Cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, tomatoes sold with the vine still attached and homegrown tomatoes are likely not the source of the outbreak, Ms. Busemeyer said.

That's good to know, because, except for the slice on the occasional fast food burger, those are the only kinds of tomatoes that I eat.

126 posted on 06/11/2008 10:02:12 AM PDT by SuziQ
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To: Alia
I don't remember there being such "alerts" for produce throughout most my life.

Probably because most produce was grown locally, not shipped across the country so readily. And if it WERE shipped that far, it was usually so expensive, most families didn't have it regularly.

Even as recently as 25 years ago, most places didn't have produce from all over the world, like regular supermarkets have now. I remember going to a produce place in NJ, where you could get almost anything you wanted, any time of the year, but you paid DEARLY for fresh strawberries and tomatoes in the dead of winter, so it wasn't something most families ate, on a regular basis.

127 posted on 06/11/2008 10:13:53 AM PDT by SuziQ
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To: maine-iac7
When we lived in NJ, I did some square-foot gardening, and I really enjoyed that! We haven't bothered with a garden here in MA, because the ground is just too rocky, and the growing season too short, to have to fool with. We're fixing to move back to MS, though, and I can't wait to have a garden again. We'll do some square-foot beds, but put them slightly below waist high, so we don't have to do so much bending down, cause we're getting older every day, and want to protect our backs and knees! LOL!

I like those hanging down tomato plants, though. I'd love to have a couple of those, and some pepper plants done the same way, on a patio, or deck.

128 posted on 06/11/2008 10:23:08 AM PDT by SuziQ
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To: what_not2007

*snort* Wise Granny!


129 posted on 06/11/2008 10:34:17 AM PDT by SuziQ
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To: SuziQ

Never fear...I’m dead heading my hanging basket on a daily basis. :`)


130 posted on 06/11/2008 10:44:23 AM PDT by hoe_cake (Reasonable minds can disagree.)
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To: what_not2007

My late m-i-l LOVED tomatoes, and had a HUGH garden at their home in the MS Delta. BEST tomatoes I have ever tasted! She ate a tomato sandwich every day, when they were growing, and said the only good use for bread was putting tomatoes in for a sandwich.


131 posted on 06/11/2008 10:52:44 AM PDT by SuziQ
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To: SuziQ

and of course tomatoes only go on white bread. With Dukes mayo.


132 posted on 06/11/2008 10:56:59 AM PDT by hoe_cake (Reasonable minds can disagree.)
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To: what_not2007

I think she used Blue Plate mayo; whatever was least expensive at the Piggly Wiggly. ;o)


133 posted on 06/11/2008 12:03:14 PM PDT by SuziQ
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To: SuziQ

Excellent point, thank you!


134 posted on 06/12/2008 4:20:38 AM PDT by Alia
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