The ongoing salmonella outbreak in the United States has made so far 410 victims in 43 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

 

The agency said Monday that the peanut butter is the “likely source” of the outbreak, after an analysis of a 5-pound tub of peanut butter undergone by the Minnesota Department of Health and Agriculture. The samples were taken last week from a nursing home where residents were found to be infected with Salmonella Typhimurium, the same strain found in the samples of peanut butter.

 

On Saturday, King Nut Cos., of Solon, Ohio, said it had recalled King Nut peanut butter and Parnell’s Pride peanut butter with the lot code 8. The company sold its products only to institutions such as schools, hospitals and long-term-care facilities.

 

Martin Kanan, president and chief executive officer of King Nut Cos., released a statement saying that the company is very sorry for what happened. “We are taking immediate and voluntary action because the health and safety of those who use our products is always our highest priority.”

 

Fortunately, King Nut is the only brand of peanut butter used in the stricken institutions, the CDC said.

 

The bad news is that the current salmonella outbreak might have contributed to three deaths as well.

 

Symptoms of salmonella infections include diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. Salmonella is a bacterium that can cause diarrhea in humans and abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours after infection. The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days, and most persons recover without treatment. However, in some persons, the diarrhea may be so severe that they need to be hospitalized. These patients need antibiotic treatment in order to prevent the infection from spreading to the blood stream, and then to other body sites, a condition that could turn fatal.