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UPDATE: Southwest restaurants pull tomatoes as salmonella outbreak spreads

ATLANTA Restaurateurs were pulling tomatoes from their menus as the number of salmonella cases linked to the raw product was growing.

No restaurants have yet been implicated in the outbreak, but investigators were still seeking the source and operators were taking precautions.

Subway and Chick-fil-A advised their outlets in New Mexico and Texas to pull tomatoes from their menu items. Sonic Corp., based in Oklahoma City, Okla., made the same request for all of its stores nationwide.

Lab tests have confirmed the 83 cases of salmonella serotype Saintpaul infections in Texas and New Mexico. Health authorities added Virginia and Wisconsin to the states reporting that strain. Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Idaho, Illinois and Indiana had already reported cases. More than 100 cases were reported this week.

On Friday, the Food and Drug Administration, which was doing a trace-back investigation to determine the source of the outbreak, said it had cleared tomatoes from five states and seven countries. Those cleared sources included the states of California, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas. The countries included: Belgium, Canada, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Israel, Netherlands and Puerto Rico.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it was collaborating with public health officials in several states, the Indian Health Service and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to investigate the cases.

Most persons infected with salmonella develop diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours after infection. Infection is usually diagnosed by culture of a stool sample. The illness usually lasts four to seven days. Although most people recover without treatment, severe infections may occur. Infants, elderly persons, and those with impaired immune systems are more likely than others to develop severe illness.

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