Apparently tomatoes are responsible for spreading salmonella in nine U.S. states, after the link was first confirmed in Texas and New Mexico. The problem is that it appears to be no single source or farm responsible for the outbreak.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that while 17 people have been infected and hospitalized in Texas and New Mexico, there are at least another 30 people who are sick with the same Salmonella Saintpaul infection in Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Idaho, Illinois and Indiana.

The disease produced by the Salmonella bacteria is called salmonellosis and for most of the infected people is known to cause diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps. The illness generally lasts four to seven days and people normally choose to tough it out without a treatment.

The outbreak comes just months after CDC reported in April that U.S.' struggle to contain foodborne illness showed little progress in 2007, although they had a constant incidence between 2004 and 2006. According to the report, there were 17,883 confirmed cases of foodborne infections in 2007. Salmonella was by far the leader of all foodborne infections with an incidence rate of 14.92 per 100,000 people.

Consumers can reduce their risk from foodborne illness by following safe food-handling recommendations and avoiding the consumption of unpasteurized milk, raw or undercooked oysters, raw or undercooked eggs, raw or undercooked ground beef, and undercooked poultry.