They managed to do it with a little drum roll before a Congressional committee.   The smoking hot pepper has been captured across the Rio Grande in Mexico.   Here's a bit of what the Washington Post reported just a short time ago:

Investigators discovered the Salmonella saintpaul strain in irrigation water and serrano peppers on a farm in Mexico, where jalapeno peppers are also grown.

"We have a smoking gun it appears," said Lonnie King, a director at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Food and Drug Administration, which earlier issued a warning about jalapeno peppers, is now warning consumers also to avoid raw serrano peppers grown and packed in Mexico.

Here's how the dots were connected:

The farm where the contaminated water was found grows only jalapeno and Serrano peppers. It supplied a packing facility in Mexico that also did business with Agricola Zaragosa, the McAllen, Tex., distributor where FDA inspectors found tainted jalapeno peppers last week. The farm and the packing facility are located in Nuevo Leon, a state in northeastern Mexico. A portion of Nuevo Leon borders Texas.

FDA is also awaiting the results of samples collected from a different farm in Tamaulipas, Mexico  It  supplied the tainted jalapeno peppers found at Agricola Zaragosa,  It's possible that the contamination occurred not at that farm but at a distribution center.

Both Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas are separated from the U.S. only by the Rio Grande and the farms are easily accessbile to U.S. distributors.

Check out the entire Wapo story here.

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According to the CDC since April, 1237 persons infected genetic fingerprint have been identified in 43 states, the District of Columbia, and Canada. These were identified because clinical laboratories in all states send Salmonella strains from ill persons to their State public health laboratory for characterization. One new state, Montana, reported a case. The number of ill persons identified in each state is as follows: Alabama (2 persons), Arkansas (16), Arizona (54), California (9), Colorado (16), Connecticut (4), Florida (3), Georgia (28), Idaho (6), Illinois (113), Indiana (18), Iowa (2), Kansas (19), Kentucky (2), Louisiana (1), Maine (1), Maryland (36), Massachusetts (28), Michigan (24), Minnesota (22), Mississippi (2), Missouri (20), Montana (1), New Hampshire (5), Nevada (12), New Jersey (12), New Mexico (102), New York (38), North Carolina (23), Ohio (10), Oklahoma (25), Oregon (10), Pennsylvania (12), Rhode Island (3), South Carolina (2), Tennessee (9), Texas (475), Utah (2), Virginia (31), Vermont (2), Washington (17), West Virginia (1), Wisconsin (13), and the District of Columbia (1). Five ill persons are reported from Canada; four appear to have been infected while traveling in the United States, and one illness remains under investigation.

Also, according to the CDC, Illnesses have been linked to consumption of an "item" containing fresh tomatoes and fresh jalapeño peppers.  Illnesses were also linked to an "item" containing fresh jalapeño peppers and no other of the suspect items.  The accumulated data from all investigations indicate that jalapeño peppers caused some illnesses but that they do not explain all illnesses.  Raw tomatoes, fresh serrano peppers, and fresh cilantro also remain under investigation.

The FDA has a slightly different take on this:

Consumers may resume enjoying any type of fresh tomato, including raw red plum, raw red Roma, and raw red round tomatoes.

While we are changing our consumer guidance about tomatoes, we reiterate our guidance to consumers that those in vulnerable populations (infants, the elderly, and immune-compromised people) should avoid eating jalapeño and serrano peppers as the investigation continues. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has found that many, but not all, of the people who have become ill during the outbreak also reported eating jalapeño or serrano peppers.

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Persons infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Saintpaul, by state, as of 9pm EST June 29, 2008

From the Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC):

An initial epidemiologic investigation comparing foods eaten by ill and well persons identified consumption of raw tomatoes as strongly linked to illness. Recently, many clusters of illnesses have been identified in Texas and other states among persons who ate at restaurants.

These clusters have led us to broaden the investigation to be sure that it encompasses food items that are commonly consumed with tomatoes. Since April, 851 persons infected with Salmonella Saintpaul with the same genetic fingerprint have been identified in 36 states and the District of Columbia. These were identified because clinical laboratories in all states send Salmonella strains from ill persons to their State public health laboratory for characterization.

Among the 581 persons with information available, illnesses began between April 10 and June 20, 2008, including 173 who became ill on June 1 or later. Many steps must occur between a person becoming ill and the determination that the illness was caused by the outbreak strain of Salmonella; these steps take an average of 2-3 weeks.

Therefore, an illness reported today may have begun 2-3 weeks ago. Patients range in age from <1 to 99 years; 49% are female. The number of illnesses is highest among persons 20 to 29 years old; the number of illnesses is lowest in children 10 to 19 years old and persons greater than 60 years old. At least 105 persons were hospitalized. No deaths have been officially attributed to this outbreak. However, a man in his sixties who died in Texas from cancer had an infection with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Saintpaul at the time of his death. The infection may have contributed to his death.

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From a CDC/FDA Press Conference today:

As salmonella cases continue to climb, the government is checking if tainted tomatoes really are to blame for the record outbreak - or if the problem is with another ingredient, or a warehouse that is contaminating newly harvested tomatoes. Federal health officials say there's no evidence clearing tomatoes. But inspectors haven't yet found the outbreak's source even as cases continue to rise - to 810 confirmed ill. Most worrisome, the latest victim became sick on June 15. Patricia Griffin of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the agency is looking into other ingredients, just in case tomatoes were not to blame.

CDC is collaborating with public health officials in many states, the Indian Health Service, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to investigate an ongoing multi-state outbreak of human Salmonella serotype Saintpaul infections. An epidemiologic investigation comparing foods eaten by ill and well persons has identified consumption of raw tomatoes as the likely source of the illnesses. The specific type and source of tomatoes is under investigation; however, the data suggest that illnesses are linked to consumption of raw red plum, red Roma, or round red tomatoes, or any combination of these types of tomatoes, and to products containing these raw tomatoes.

Since April, 810 persons infected with Salmonella Saintpaul with the same genetic fingerprint have been identified in 36 states and the District of Columbia. These were identified because clinical laboratories in all states send Salmonella strains from ill persons to their State public health laboratory for characterization. Maine and Minnesota have been added to the list of states with ill persons. The number of ill persons identified in each state is as follows: Arkansas (10 persons), Arizona (39), California (10), Colorado (8), Connecticut (4), Florida (1), Georgia (18), Idaho (3), Illinois (78), Indiana (11), Kansas (14), Kentucky (1), Maine (1), Maryland (25), Massachusetts (18), Michigan (4), Minnesota (2), Missouri (12), New Hampshire (3), Nevada (4), New Jersey (4), New Mexico (85), New York (25), North Carolina (5), Ohio (6), Oklahoma (19), Oregon (7), Pennsylvania (6), Rhode Island (3), Tennessee (6), Texas (342), Utah (2), Virginia (22), Vermont (1), Washington (4), Wisconsin (6), and the District of Columbia (1).

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This weekend began with news from both the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC).

The FDA gave the impression it was closing in on the source of the contaminated tomatoes, sending teams into areas of both Mexico and Florida to some specific farms that might finally turn up who is responsible for the outbreak.    FDA said:

The FDA is now working to narrow the investigation. As part of this, the agency is sending teams of multi-disciplinary experts to both Mexico and Florida this weekend to conduct joint inspections of the farms and other critical points on the supply chain where the tomatoes may have become contaminated.

The FDA investigators will conduct joint inspections with regulators in Mexico and Florida at the farms and other distribution points. Meanwhile, the FDA will continue to collect samples of tomatoes and conduct traceback activities.

To further narrow the investigation, the FDA is working with the state of Texas to traceback a cluster of illnesses recently found by the state of Texas. We are hopeful that this will provide additional information to bring the agency closer to the source of the contamination.

The FDA is working jointly with Mexico and Florida and other states to update the list of areas not associated with the outbreak and will continue to post the information on the web site.

While painting a target on Mexico, FDA at the same time added most Mexican states to the
list of "safe" tomato growing areas.

The "safe" areas now include  include the Mexican states of: Aguascalientes, Baja California Norte, Baja California Sur, Campeche, Colima, Chiapas, Chihuahua, Distrito Federal, Durango, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Hidalgo, México, Michoacán, Morelos, Nayarit, Nuevo León, Oaxaca, Puebla, Querétaro, Quintana Roo, San Luis Potosí, Sonora, Tobasco, Tamaulipas, Tlaxcala, Veracruz, Yucatán, Zacatecas.

The only Mexican state bordering on the U.S. not on the "safe" list is Coahuila.

CDC's list of confirmed cases of Salmonella Saintpaul connected to the tainted tomatoes was 552 as the weekend began.   It said 32 states and the District of Columbia were involved.   New Jersey and Rhode Island were the latest states added to the outbreak list.

So, will FDA close the case or be left so befuddled that the agency makes Lou Dobbs look profound?   What will it say about Mexico or Florida if either area is named when the music stops?
How high will CDC's confirmed number of cases go?   Might CDC say something about the liklihood from previous studies that something like 38 people go untreated for every confirmed case of salmonella? 

That, gentle readers, means about 21,000 people are now victims of Salmonella Saintpaul due to bad tomatoes.

As of 6/20/08, CDC said:

Since April, 552 persons infected with Salmonella Saintpaul with the same genetic fingerprint have been identified in 32 states and the District of Columbia. These were identified because clinical laboratories in all states send Salmonella strains from ill persons to their State public health laboratory for characterization.

The marked increase in reported ill persons since the last update is not thought to be due to a large number of new infections. The number of reported ill persons increased mainly because some states improved surveillance for Salmonella in response to this outbreak and because laboratory identification of many previously submitted strains was completed. In particular, the number of ill persons reported from Texas markedly increased, and two new states, New Jersey and Rhode Island, reported ill persons.

The number of ill persons identified in each state is as follows: Arkansas (3 persons), Arizona (29), California (8), Colorado (4), Connecticut (4), Florida (1), Georgia (11), Idaho (3), Illinois (34), Indiana (8), Kansas (9), Kentucky (1), Maryland (18), Michigan (4), Missouri (10), New Hampshire (1), New Jersey (1), New Mexico (73), New York (10), North Carolina (1), Ohio (3), Oklahoma (5), Oregon (5), Pennsylvania (5), Rhode Island (2), Tennessee (4), Texas (265), Utah (2), Virginia (20), Vermont (1), Washington (1), Wisconsin (5), and the District of Columbia (1).

Among the 281 persons with information available, illnesses began between April 10 and June 10, 2008. Patients range in age from <1 to 88 years; 49 percent are female. At least 53 persons were hospitalized. No deaths have been officially attributed to this outbreak. However, a man in his sixties who died in Texas from cancer had an infection with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Saintpaul at the time of his death. The infection may have contributed to his death.

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States with persons with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Saintpaul, by state of residence.

Here are the money lines from today's update on the Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak involving tomatoes from the Centers on Disease Control & Prevention:

Since April, 383 persons infected with Salmonella Saintpaul with the same genetic fingerprint have been identified in 30 states and the District of Columbia: Arkansas (2 persons), Arizona (26), California (8), Colorado (2), Connecticut (2), Florida (1), Georgia (8), Idaho (3), Illinois (34), Indiana (8), Kansas (9), Kentucky (1), Maryland (10), Michigan (3), Missouri (9), New Hampshire (1), New Mexico (70), New York (9), North Carolina (1), Ohio (3), Oklahoma (5), Oregon (4), Pennsylvania (2), Tennessee (4), Texas (131), Utah (2), Virginia (17), Vermont (1), Washington (1), Wisconsin (5), and the District of Columbia (1).

These were identified because clinical laboratories in all states send Salmonella strains from ill persons to their State public health laboratory for characterization. The marked increase in reported ill persons is not primarily due to a large number of new infections. The number of reported ill persons increased markedly mainly because some states improved surveillance for Salmonella in response to this outbreak and because laboratory identification of many previously submitted strains was completed.

Among the 243 persons with information available, illnesses began between April 10 and June 5, 2008. Patients range in age from <1 to 88 years; 47 percent are female. At least 48 persons were hospitalized. No deaths have been officially attributed to this outbreak. However, a man in his sixties who died in Texas from cancer had an infection with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Saintpaul at the time of his death. The infection may have contributed to his death.

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Since yesterday’s update of the numbers from the Centers for Disease Control, it appears that new cases of Salmonella Saintpaul have turned up in Ohio, Kentucky, and the District of Columbia.

The Columbus Dispatch reports:

Three cases of salmonella have been reported in central Ohio and linked to the national outbreak involving tomatoes, according to Columbus Public Health.

The Ohio story is here.

The Lexington Herald-Leader reports:

The Salmonella outbreak linked to tomatoes has reached Kentucky.

A Louisville woman has been diagnosed with the same strain of Salmonella that has sicked people in 23 other states, the Kentucky Department of Public Health announced Friday.

Go here for more from Kentucky.

And the Washington, D.C. Examiner reports:

The District of Columbia has reported its first case of salmonella linked to the current tomato-related outbreak.

The D.C. Department of Health said a resident tested positive for Salmonella Saintpaul, the uncommon type of salmonella that has sickened at least 228 other people in 23 states.

Officials say the resident appears to have eaten many tomatoes recently.

The D.C. story can be found here.

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States with persons with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Saintpaul, by state of residence.

The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention offers the following summary of the outbreak as of today:

Since mid-April, 167 persons infected with Salmonella Saintpaul with the same genetic fingerprint have been identified in 17 states: Arizona (12 persons), California (2), Colorado (1), Connecticut (1), Idaho (2), Illinois (27), Indiana (7), Kansas (5), Michigan (2), New Mexico (39), Oklahoma (3), Oregon (3), Texas (56), Utah (1), Virginia (2), Washington (1), and Wisconsin (3). These were identified because clinical laboratories in all states send Salmonella strains from ill persons to their State public health laboratory for characterization. Among the 73 persons who have been interviewed, illnesses began between April 16 and May 27, 2008. Patients range in age from 1 to 82 years; 49% are female. At least 23 persons were hospitalized.

CDC Comments on How Rarity of Salmonella Saintpaul

Only 3 persons infected with this strain of Salmonella Saintpaul were identified in the country during the same period in 2007. The previous rarity of this strain and the distribution of illnesses in all U.S. regions suggest that the implicated tomatoes are distributed throughout much of the country. Because of inherent delays in reporting and because many persons with Salmonella illness do not have a stool specimen tested, it is likely many more illnesses have occurred than those reported.

US Food & Drug Administration(FDA) Adds 12 States to "Safe" List

The "safe" list of states and countries has been expanded by FDA with the addition of 12 more states.  (In bold face type ) The seven countries on the list remain unchanged. FDA recommends consuming raw red plum, raw red Roma, or raw red round tomatoes only if grown and harvested from the areas that HAVE NOT BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH THE OUTBREAK:

STATES

Alabama                       
Arkansas
California
Georgia
Hawaii
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Minnesota
Mississippi
New York
Nebraska
North Carolina
Ohio
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
West Virginia

FOREIGN COUNTRIES

Belgium
Canada
Dominican Republic
Guatemala
Israel
Netherlands
Puerto Rico

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Bob Drobatz is president of operations for Petaluma Market in Santa Rosa, CA.  He told the Santa Rosa Press Democrat that the tomatoes he was pulling from grocery shelves came from Mexico.

Mexico is one of the biggest suppliers of red round tomatoes and the country was conspicuously absent from the FDA  “safe” list,  Drobatz said.

“I assume it must be Mexico where the suspect tomatoes are from,” he said.

Yesterday we reported Dr. Michael Landen, deputy state epidemiologist with the New Mexico Department of Health, said  “Preliminary data indicates the tomatoes we are having problems with are from Mexico."

How much longer must we wait for FDA to come out with the Unsafe List?  Bill Marler asked the same question on the Marler blog.

So, where the Hell did the Salmonella Tomatoes and E. coli Romain Lettuce come from?

He also asks:  In the days of the risk of bio-terrorism, and with the advent of computer technology to pin-point where our books from Amazon are, you would think we would be able to trace-back contaminated tomatoes and lettuce a bit quicker?

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The Centers for Disease Control, along with several state health agencies and the federal Indian Health Service says the investigation into the Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak has identified consumption of raw tomatoes as the likely source of the illnesses in New Mexico and Texas.

The specific type and source of tomatoes is under investigation; however, preliminary data suggest that large tomatoes, including Roma and red round are the source.

Here from CDC are the official numbers, as of yesterday (6/4/08):

Since late April, 57 persons infected with Salmonella Saintpaul with the same genetic fingerprint have been identified in Texas (24 persons) and New Mexico (33 persons). These were identified because clinical laboratories in all states send Salmonella strains from ill persons to their State public health laboratory for characterization. Among the 38 persons who have been interviewed, illnesses began between April 23 and May 27, 2008. Patients range in age from 3 to 82 years; 48% are female. At least 17 persons were hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.

In addition, 29 persons with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Saintpaul have been reported since mid-April in residents of Arizona (6 persons), Colorado (1), Idaho (2), Illinois (12), Indiana (1), Kansas (3), Utah (1), Virginia (1), and Wisconsin (2). Investigations are underway to determine if consumption of raw tomatoes is also associated with illness in these states.

CDC's consumer and other information on the outbreak can be found here.

CDC Salmonella Saintpaul Outbreak Map

Persons infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Saintpaul, United States, by state, April 15 to June 4, 2008

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