Salmonella in Cereal Suspected in Illness

Salmonella in cereal suspected in illness — Minnesota health officials may have found their first salmonella-related illness linked to contaminated cereal produced by the Malt-O-Meal plant in Northfield and recalled April 5.

One patient’s illness matches the "genetic fingerprint" of the salmonella strain in the cereal, which has caused at least 21 illnesses in 13 states, the Minnesota Department of Health reported Friday.

State health officials are searching for other cases linked to the recalled cereal — boxes of Puffed Rice or Puffed Wheat that have "best if used by" codes of April 8, 2009, or March 18, 2009. The unsweetened cereal was sold with the Malt-O-Meal name as well as under several private grocery labels.

Malt-O-Meal issued the recall after routine testing found salmonella bacteria in cereal made March 24.

The bacteria cause salmonellosis, an illness marked by diarrhea, abdominal pain and fever. Roughly one in five cases require hospital care, and a small percent can be fatal in the elderly and people with weakened immune systems.

The case officials are focusing on involves an elderly woman who needed hospital care but has recovered, said Health Department spokesman Doug Schultz. The woman doesn’t remember eating this type of cereal, even though the timing and the type of bacteria fit with the outbreak.

Health investigators are trying to determine whether the illness was passed along by relatives who ate the cereal, or whether her identical illness is a coincidence.