Washington, 29 August - An outbreak of an unusual strain of Salmonella that put 286 people into the hospital appears to be over in the United States, federal health officials said on Thursday.
They said jalapeno and serrano peppers from Mexico were the main source and said the outbreak shows there is more need for monitoring fresh fruits and vegetables.
"It appears that this outbreak is over," Dr. Robert Tauxe of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told reporters on a telephone briefing.
"Preliminary epidemiologic and microbiologic results to date support the conclusion that jalapeno peppers were a major vehicle by which the pathogen was transmitted, and serrano peppers also were a vehicle. Tomatoes possibly were a vehicle, particularly early in the outbreak," the CDC said in its weekly report on death and disease.
The outbreak of Salmonella St. Paul sickened 1,442 people and may have helped kill two elderly men, the CDC said.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration lifted its advice for people to avoid raw peppers from Mexico.