Papayas Suspected in Latest Salmonella Outbreak

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning consumers not to eat papayas from Agromod Produce, Inc., a distributor in McAllen,Texas. The FDA and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) are investigating 97 reported cases of Salmonella Agona, including 10 hospitalizations, in 23 states related to the consumption of papayas.

Agromod voluntarily recalled the papayas after FDA detected Salmonella matching the outbreak strain.

The elderly, infants and those with impaired immune systems are more likely to have a severe illness from Salmonella infection.

Consumers, retailers and others who have papayas from Agromod Produce, Inc. should discard them in a sealed container so people and animals, including wild animals, cannot eat them.

The papayas were imported from Mexico. Recent sampling by the FDA found the outbreak strain in two papaya samples: one collected at the Agromod Produce, Inc. location in McAllen, Texas, and one collected at the U.S. border destined for Agromod Produce, Inc. The shipments that tested positive with the outbreak strain were not distributed in the U.S. 

The FDA said it is working with Agromod Produce, Inc. to determine if previous shipments of potentially contaminated papaya could still be in U.S. commerce.

Symptoms

Most persons infected with Salmonella develop diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours after infection. The illness usually lasts four to seven days, and most persons recover without treatment. However, some individuals may require hospitalization from severe diarrhea.

Salmonella infection may spread from the intestines to the blood stream and then to other body sites. It can cause death unless the person is treated promptly with antibiotics. The elderly, infants and those with impaired immune systems are more likely to become severely ill from Salmonella infection.

The elderly, infants and those with impaired immune systems are more likely to become severely ill from Salmonella infection. The bacterium can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in these vulnerable populations. Most healthy individuals recover from Salmonella infections within four to seven days without treatment.