At the same time they’ve been keeping an eye on an explosive diarrhea-causing parasite, public health officials in Colorado have been tracking a more urgent foodborne concern: There’s an outbreak of salmonella in the state.
The state has identified 110 cases linked to the outbreak, which itself is part of a multistate outbreak involving more than 300 cases in at least 27 states, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Now, the CDC has identified a culprit: jalapeño peppers grown in Mexico and distributed to restaurants in the United States.
In Colorado, the state Department of Public Health and Environment said health officials’ investigation pointed to two restaurant chains serving the contaminated peppers: Chipotle and Qdoba.
“We are aware that both restaurant chains stopped serving the affected jalapeños after being notified about the outbreak to prevent additional cases,” agency spokesperson Kayla Glad wrote in an email.
State and federal authorities say they do not believe there is an ongoing risk to consumers from eating at these restaurants.
As with cyclosporiasis, the disease caused by the aforementioned parasite, people often get sick from salmonella by eating contaminated food. But salmonella infection, which is caused by bacteria, is possibly more concerning to health officials.
While cyclosporiasis is unpleasant, it is rarely fatal. Salmonella, however, is generally more common and has killed about a person per year in Colorado since 2000, It kills hundreds annually in the United States.
There have been no deaths so far linked to the pepper-related salmonella outbreak, but the CDC says there have been 36 hospitalizations nationwide.
Symptoms of salmonella infection start six hours to six days after ingesting the bacteria and include diarrhea, stomach cramps and fever. Severe dehydration can occur due to the diarrhea, so staying hydrated is important. Most infections clear up on their own after several days, but young kids and older adults are especially at risk of more severe illness that could require medical attention.
Glad, with CDPHE, said the agency expects the number of cases in Colorado could increase as the state public health lab works through samples sent in for testing. After that, it can take some time for investigators to link specific cases of salmonella — which can also be acquired from eating improperly prepared or stored food, especially poultry — to an outbreak.
Meanwhile, there continues to be no evidence of a cyclosporiasis outbreak in Colorado. The state has recorded 241 cases so far this year. Of the ones where health officials have completed an investigation, 74% are believed to have been acquired through international travel. (While the state has not provided a breakdown of where people traveled to, Latin American countries are a common location for infection.)
Of people believed to have been infected by the cyclosporiasis parasite in the United States, at least five reported spending time in states that have been linked to the multistate cyclosporiasis outbreak and iceberg lettuce distributed by Taylor Farms. On Wednesday, federal health authorities expanded the number of states included in the outbreak to 15: Arkansas, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.