Many cases of salmonella food poisoning linked to the consumption of cucumbers may have been caused by untreated canal water, it has been revealed.
Just under 450 people across 31 U.S. states reported sickness earlier this year, 125 of which were hospitalized.
These people were found to have been infected with either Salmonella Africana or Salmonella Braenderup, likely as a result of eating a contaminated batch of cucumbers.
"State and local public health officials are interviewing people about the foods they ate in the week before they got sick. Of the 188 people interviewed, 129 (69 percent) reported eating cucumbers," the CDC said in a 2 July statement. "This percentage was significantly higher than the 50 percent of respondents who reported eating cucumbers in the FoodNet Population Survey—a survey that helps estimate how often people eat various foods linked to diarrheal illness. This difference suggests that people in this outbreak got sick from eating cucumbers."
Cucumbers around the country from Fresh Start Produce Sales were recalled on 23 May, with the recall being classified as a Class I risk level by the FDA, the highest possible risk level. Recalls are categorized as Class I when "there is a reasonable probability that the use of, or exposure to, a violative product will cause serious adverse health consequences or death," according to the FDA. Fresh Start Produce Sales Inc. voluntarily initiated the recall after the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture found salmonella in a product sample.
The CDC and FDA have been investigating the salmonella outbreak, and have found that many but not all of the salmonella sicknesses may have been caused by untreated canal water being used by Bedner Growers Inc. of Boynton Beach, Florida, who supplied Fresh Start Produce Sales with the cucumbers.
Newsweek contacted Bedner Growers Inc. and Fresh Start Produce Sales Inc. for comment on Wednesday.
"Laboratory, epidemiological and traceback data have determined that cucumbers from Bedner Growers, Inc., of Boynton Beach, Florida, are a likely source of illnesses in this outbreak; however, this grower does not account for all the illnesses in this outbreak," the FDA said in a statement. "Whole genome sequencing analysis determined that the salmonella found in the water used by Bedner Growers, Inc. is a match to a strain of Salmonella Braenderup that is causing some of the illnesses in this outbreak."
This untreated water was used to hydrate the soil of the growing cucumbers, Bedner Growers' owner Steve Bedner said.
"Additional soil and water samples collected at Bedner Growers, Inc. were positive for other strains of salmonella. CDC and FDA are looking to see if these strains have caused illness in people," the CDC said in the statement.
Salmonella is a type of bacteria that can cause foodborne illness in humans, and is commonly found in raw or undercooked meat, poultry, eggs and unpasteurized milk. Symptoms of infection typically appear 6 hours to 6 days after exposure, lasting between 4 to 7 days, and include diarrhea, fever, stomach cramps, nausea and vomiting. Most people recover without specific treatment other than oral fluids to prevent dehydration, but in severe cases, hospitalization and intravenous fluids may be necessary.
"Bedner Growers, Inc.'s cucumber growing and harvesting season is over. There is no product from this farm on the market and likely no ongoing risk to the public. Additionally, this grower does not account for all the illnesses in the outbreak," the FDA said.
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