Friday, August 13, 2010

Fruit Smoothies Responsible for Outbreak of Typhoid Fever in U.S.

An outbreak of typhoid fever in the U.S. has been linked to a frozen tropical fruit product used to make smoothies.
Seven cases have been reported and confirmed — three in California and four in Nevada. 
There are two more cases in California that  are being investigated.
Five people have been hospitalized, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC said five of the victims drank smoothies made with frozen mamey fruit pulp.
Four of them used pulp sold by Goya Foods Inc. of Secaucus, N.J.
Mamey is a sweet, reddish tropical fruit grown mainly in Central and South America.
It is also known as zapote or sapote.
It is peeled and mashed to make pulp, the CDC said.
The company has recalled packages of the pulp, sold in mostly western states.
A sample from one package found in Las Vegas tested positive for the bacteria that causes typhoid, said the Food and Drug Administration.

Typhoid fever is a life-threatening illness caused by a type of bacteria called Salmonella typhi, most people catch it outside the United States.

Symptoms include a sustained fever as high as 103 to 104 degrees, along with headache. weakness, stomach pains or loss of appetite. Some patients have a rash of flat, rose-colored spots.
The good news is, it can be treated with antibiotics.

The bacteria travels through the intestinal tract and spreads to others through feces-tainted food or water. 
Freezing does not kill it.
The recalled mamey pulp was sold in 14-ounce plastic packages in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Texas, Utah and Washington.