Up in Canada, sprouts may be serving up an outbreak of Salmonella Cubana, a rare sub-type that in some cases can lead to fatal infections.

The Salmonella Cubana outbreak appears centered on the Ontario area where seven confirmed cases have been logged to date.   The last person known to become ill was on July 12th, but the number of cases could increase with the ongoing investigation.

There is a Health Hazard Alert issued Aug 9th by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) for onion sprouts and mixed onion and alfalfa sprouts sold under the Sprouts Alive and Sun sprout brands. The alert concerns possible Salmonella contamination.

Sunsprout Natural Foods of Brantford, ON makes the sprouts subject to the alert, and is apparently not connected with the Omaha-based company with a similar name that was linked to a May outbreak that sickened 121 in several Midwestern states.

CFIA says some who are infected with Salmonella Cubana report they ate sprouts. 

Symptoms of salmonellas usually occur within six to 72 hours after exposure to contaminated food or water. This may include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever, lasting for two to five days.