Ida Louise Rostad of NRK Finnmark reports seven people in Norway have been stricken with a rare form of Salmonella.

The samples of the patients were taken at the end of August, and all are thought to be infected in Norway. Bacteria with similar DNA profiles have been detected in all seven people, says senior adviser Heidi Lange at the Public Health Institute in a press release.

The people who are infected are between 19 and 60 years old. Two people live in Finnmark, but also people from Møre og Romsdal, Sogn og Fjordane, Akershus and Oslo are infected.

The DNA profile of the bacterium has never been seen before in Norway, either in humans, animals or in foods.

“There are no symptoms beyond what we usually see, such as diarrhea, fever and abdominal pain. So it does not look like this is more serious,” says Director of the Department of Public Health Institute, Line Violence to NRK.

“Now we are working on common routines for outbreaks. We have a little work to do to get out and we know this is work that can take time, “she says.

Now the institute cooperates with the municipal health service, the Norwegian Food Safety Authority and the Veterinary Institute to investigate whether patients can have a common source of infection.

The bacterium is a rare variant of the bacterium Salmonella Typhimurium.

The Norwegian Institute of Public Health does not want to provide information on whether patients are in hospital or have been with the GP to detect infection.