THURSDAY, June 6, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- An outbreak of salmonella illness linked to recalled cucumbers has now expanded to at least 162 cases in 25 states, U.S. health officials reported Wednesday.

In an update issued from the the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, officials noted that 54 of the cases were so severe that hospitalization was required, although no deaths have been reported.

In a recall notice posted May 31 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Florida-based Fresh Start Produce recalled the vegetables, which were shipped from May 17 through May 21.

The CDC noted that the "recalled cucumbers should no longer be in stores."

The cucumbers were sent to retail distribution centers, wholesalers and food service distributors in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia, the company said. Mini cucumbers and English cucumbers are not included in the recall.

The CDC said that after being shipped to these states, "sellers may have shipped to additional states or re-packaged them for stores."

The recall was issued after a cucumber sample that was tested by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture was found to be positive for salmonella.

The FDA is now conducting genetic testing to see whether it’s related to an ongoing salmonella outbreak.

Fresh Start Produce notified its customers who received recalled cucumbers directly from the company about the recall and asked that they notify their own customers of the recall.

Any of these cucumbers should be discarded or returned to the store, the company said. Consumers with additional questions can call the company at 1-888-364-2993 anytime from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Symptoms of a salmonella infection include diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps that can start within hours or days of consuming contaminated food. Most people recover with treatment, but severe symptoms, symptoms that don’t improve or signs of dehydration should prompt a visit to the doctor, the CDC says. Children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems are more likely to become severely ill.

"In rare circumstances, infection with salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections [i.e., infected aneurysms], endocarditis and arthritis," the recall notice said.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on salmonella.

SOURCE: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, news release, June 3, 2024