KETV.com reports tonight that 14 cases of Salmonella have been linked together by DNA fingerprinting in Douglas County, Nebraska:
The first cases were reported earlier this week, in which women younger than 50 — and all the way into their teens — were getting infected, said Dr. Ann O’Keefe.
Health experts know all illnesses have been connected to the same strain, but they don’t know where it originated.
The strain has been submitted to the Centers For Disease Control and has an identical serotype to the jalapeno and tomato outbreaks in the fall (which was Saintpaul) but a different genetic fingerprint.
Officials are reviewing detailed information from multiple victims in hopes of targeting the strain’s source, said state epidemiologist Dr. Tom Safranek.
In the past, Salmonella Saintpaul has been linked to tomatoes/peppers, melons, paprika and sprouts.