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This summer's nationwide salmonellosis outbreak generated a storm of publicity, and many people were confused by the twists and turns of the CDC investigation. A CDC report now describes its search for the index microbe.
Almost 1500 cases of Salmonella serotype Saintpaul infection were reported from 43 states between April and August 2008; nearly 300 people were hospitalized. The first reports came from New Mexico, Texas, and the Navajo Nation. In late May, the first case-control study of 51 cases and 106 controls implicated raw tomatoes as a source of illness and exonerated salsa, guacamole, and other foods. Based on this study, a nationwide tomato alert was broadcast in early June.
In subsequent case-control studies, however, salsa emerged …