The U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said people in 34 states and the District of Columbia have been infected with a rare strain of bacteria known as Salmonella Saintpaul.
Of those made ill, 95 people have been hospitalized. Texas has been the hardest hit with 330 people becoming ill, followed by New Mexico with 80 cases. More people are expected to become ill because the outbreak is still on, health officials said.
Investigators are still trying to find the source of the contamination, which is believed to be the largest U.S. outbreak of Salmonella infections from tomatoes. The outbreak is linked to raw plum, Roma and round tomatoes.
Salmonella Saintpaul is an uncommon strain and about 400 cases of Saintpaul infections are seen in humans each year, the CDC reports. It is often caused by eating foods contaminated with animal feces. The infection causes fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.


