Salmonella Outbreak from Mangoes Sickens 121 across U.S.

According to Food Safety News, a Salmonella outbreak has infected 121 people across 15 U.S. states. The outbreak has been linked to mangoes imported from Mexico.

Of the 121 reported illnesses, 93 have been in California. Other states where illnesses have been reported include, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin.

To date, no deaths have been reported linked to this outbreak, but 25 victims have been hospitalized.

In response to the outbreak, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has administered an import alert on the company responsible for the contaminated mangoes. The company will no longer be able to import the fruit into the U.S. unless they can prove it is not contaminated with Salmonella through pathogen testing.

Individuals infected with Salmonella typically develop a fever, diarrhea, and abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours after consumption, and the illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days. Healthy individuals are normally able to recover without treatment; however, young children, the elderly, and those with weak immune systems are more susceptible to developing a more severe illness where hospitalization is required.

'Most people become infected by Salmonella following the consumption of unwashed fruits or vegetables, uncooked or undercooked meats or eggs, and contaminated water,' states Dr. Jason Dobranic, EMSL Analytical Inc.'s Vice President of Microbiology and Life Sciences. 'EMSL Analytical provides advanced microbiology testing for food samples and environmental samples to detect Salmonella and other foodborne pathogens in our microbiology laboratories nationwide.'

For more information on EMSL's testing services, please contact EMSL at (800) 220-3675, visit www.EMSL.com, or email  info@EMSL.com .

About EMSL Analytical, Inc.
EMSL Analytical is a full service testing company providing quality lab services under the same private ownership since 1981. Including the corporate lab facility in Cinnaminson, NJ, EMSL Analytical operates over thirty laboratories nationwide in the US and Canada. We provide analytical services for environmental, indoor air quality (IAQ), industrial hygiene, forensics and materials science, consumer products, food safety, PCR, pharmaceutical, asbestos, lead, and radiological samples. The company has an extensive list of accreditations from leading organizations, as well as state and federal regulating bodies.

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