At least 345 people in 27 states have become sickened with the same strain of salmonella that has recently been linked to jalapeños, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Aug. 5.
So far, the Food and Drug Administration said no deaths have been reported, according to a news release from the CDC, but 36 people have been hospitalized in connection to the illness.
The investigation remains ongoing by both health agencies, which said they linked the outbreak to jalapeños supplied by a common grower in Sinaloa, Mexico, and distributed in the United States by Coast Citrus Distributors.
The jalapeños were primarily distributed to restaurants or wholesale, according to the release, and Coast Citrus Distributors is recalling and notifying
its customers.
USA TODAY has reached out to the CDC for a list of the 27 affected states.
Chipotle removed jalapeños from its stores
The announcement came after Chipotle Mexican Grill, a day earlier, said it removed jalapeños from its restaurants nationwide after the peppers were linked to a salmonella outbreak in Minnesota that sickened more than 100 people there.
After being notified about the outbreak, Chipotle and Qdoba stopped serving affected jalapeños, the CDC wrote in its release.
"Given their actions to remove (the) product from their stores, neither of these establishments are considered a current ongoing risk to consumers in this outbreak," the release continues.
In addition, health officials said the FDA is working to determine if recalled jalapeños were distributed to grocery stores.
If affected peppers were also available at stores, the FDA may announce additional recalls on its recalls page here.
Anyone with the affected jalapeños at home, should not eat them and should throw them away, the CDC warned.
What is salmonella?
Salmonella is an organism that can cause serious and fatal infections in children, the elderly and other people with weakened immune systems, according to the CDC.
Those infected with salmonella start developing symptoms 12 to 72 hours after eating a contaminated product. Diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps are the main symptoms.
Most people recover without treatment, but in rare circumstances the infection can require hospitalization, according to the CDC. Pregnant women are also at higher risk of developing an infection from it and should seek medical attention if symptoms arise.
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealu
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Salmonella outbreak linked to jalapeños hits 27 states
