U.S. health officials investigating salmonella outbreak that has sickened 90 people in 19 states and District of Columbia, according to FDA memo; outbreak may be linked to sushi, memo says

Nevin Barich

WASHINGTON , April 3, 2012 (Associated Press) – Federal health officials are investigating an outbreak of salmonella that has sickened 90 people in 19 states and the District of Columbia, according to a Food and Drug Administration memo.

The outbreak may be linked to sushi and has caused at least seven hospitalizations, according to the memo distributed internally to FDA staff. No deaths have been reported to date.

Investigators are focusing on six clusters of restaurants in Texas, Wisconsin, Maryland, Rhode Island and Connecticut.

FDA spokesman Curtis Allen would not confirm or elaborate on the information, saying the memo "contains numbers of cases and hospitalizations that cannot be confirmed at this time."

Allen said the illness is linked to salmonella Bareilly, a bacteria strain previously associated with outbreaks in bean sprouts.

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