FDA Reports First Big Break In Salmonella Hunt

Government inspectors finally have a big clue in the nationwide salmonella outbreak: They found the same bacterium on a single Mexico-grown jalapeno pepper handled by a small Texas produce shipper.

Monday's discovery doesn't solve the mystery: Authorities don't know where the pepper became tainted. On the farm? In the plant in McAllen, Texas? Or at some stop in between?

Nor are they saying the tainted pepper exonerates tomatoes sold in the spring that consumers until last week had been told were the prime suspect.

Still, "this genetic match is a very important break in the case," said David Acheson, the Food and Drug Administration's food safety chief.

For now, the government is advising consumers to avoid eating fresh jalapenos or products made with them such as fresh salsa. Tomatoes now on the market are considered safe to eat, health officials have said since last week.

The Texas plant, Agricola Zaragosa, has agreed to recall its fresh jalapenos, although the FDA wouldn't say how widely the produce was distributed. It is not considered a major processor, and it is unclear how far into the United States peppers traveling through this small stop near Mexico would have traveled, something the FDA is working to determine.

It also is not clear whether the produce distributor handled tomatoes. No other produce in the plant has tested positive for salmonella, Acheson said.

"I recognize there is a need to narrow this as soon as possible," Acheson added - as parts of the country are entering prime hot pepper season.

A person who answered the phone at Agricola Zaragosa said no one was available to comment immediately.

With 1,251 confirmed cases in 43 states - and a few among Canadian travelers to the U.S. - the outbreak isn't over, said Robert Tauxe of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC said last week that it appeared to be slowing, and indeed has confirmed just 14 additional cases since then. The last confirmed case of food poisoning was July 4.