While the recent salmonella outbreak caused by shell eggs has dominated the news in recent weeks, there are smaller incidents of food poisoning being reported, one of which is an outbreak of salmonella thought to be linked to Don Pericos, a Mexican restaurant in Bakersfield, California.

There have been at least 4 illnesses related to the restaurant, and two people who became severely ill have been hospitalized. The restaurant has since closed, and health officials believe that the number of illnesses related to the salmonella bacteria will increase.

Health officials have indicated that the salmonella outbreak at the Don Pericos restaurant is not related to the national egg recall, but have not released the specific strain of salmonella responsible for the illnesses. One official stated that the food at Don Pericos has been sampled for testing and inspectors want to make certain the food is safe for patrons to eat before re-opening.

Officials of the health department inspected the restaurant and discovered numerous food safety violations which was cause for the temporary shut down of the restaurant on Thursday September 2nd. Ongoing investigations continue as health officials try to determine what impact the salmonella outbreak may have had in the area, and how many more individuals may have been infected with the bacteria.