PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Black pepper used to coat salami is the
possible cause of a salmonella outbreak that sickened people in 40
states, the Rhode Island Department of Health said Thursday.
Tests showed the same strain of salmonella that has sickened at
least 189 people since July was also found in two open containers
of pepper at meat company Daniele International Inc.'s facility in
Burrillville. Thirty-seven people have been hospitalized in the
outbreak, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control.
Annemarie Beardsworth, a spokeswoman for the Rhode Island health
department, said officials there are still waiting for results from
closed containers of pepper, which are expected in two to three
days.
"We're pretty sure right now that the ground pepper is the
source of the outbreak, but until we get a positive result that was
taken from a closed container, we can't be 100 percent certain,"
she said.
Daniele International recalled 1.2 million pounds of
pepper-coated salami on Saturday after officials used the shopping
records of people who were sickened to pinpoint the source of the
problem.
The Department of Health said no additional products were being
recalled.
The 40 states where illnesses related to the outbreak have been
reported are: Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut,
Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas,
Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota,
Missouri, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Hampshire,
New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode
Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah,
Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming.
