By Matt Wilson
Staff Writer
A few cases of salmonella infection from an outbreak linked to peanut butter have been found Southeast Tennessee and Northwest Georgia, and the area likely will see more in coming days, health officials said Friday.
"There was one in Hamilton County, a couple in Bradley," said Dr. Tim Jones, deputy state epidemiologist for the Tennessee Department of Health. "We haven't had a huge concentration in any one particular area."
In Tennessee, 18 cases of infection caused by salmonella bacteria have been reported, seven of which have led to hospitalizations, Dr. Jones said.
One of the Southeast Tennessee cases was a hospitalization, Dr. Jones said. All those that were hospitalized are out of the hospital and recovering, he said.
Dr. Tom Bruns, a pediatric emergency medicine doctor at T.C. Thompson Children's Hospital at Erlanger, said no cases have yet come through his hospital, though at least 10 who suspect they were infected have been treated.
"Most of the individuals have a virus," he said.
Dr. Bruns said the only way to tell if a gastrointestinal infection is salmonella is with stool sample tests.
Georgia has seen 14 confirmed cases, one in Bartow County, said Logan Boss, a spokesman for Northwest Georgia Health Watch, a regional organization that oversees 10 county health departments.
"We expect there'll be some more," Mr. Boss said.
The salmonella outbreak has been linked to Peter Pan and Wal-Mart Great Value brands of peanut butter with product codes beginning with the number "2111," according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cases of infection from salmonella, the strain associated with the peanut butter, have been reported in 40 states.
Both brands of peanut butter were manufactured at a ConAgra Foods plant in Sylvester, Ga., which has been closed for an investigation into the cause of the outbreak, according to the Georgia Department of Agriculture.
ConAgra voluntarily recalled the affected peanut butter on Thursday.
Susanna and Brian Cox of St. Joseph, Mo., filed a lawsuit against the company Friday after their children required treatment for infections from salmonella, according to The Associated Press.
Dr. Jones advised people who think they may have eaten the peanut butter to "not worry too much."
"We have a lot of people who are worried because of all the media attention," he said. "(Salmonellosis) does not have long-term complications, generally."
Mr. Boss agreed, saying that salmonella infection, of which the main symptom is diarrhea, is "not a real serious illness" and usually goes away in four to seven days.
"Typically all you need to do is wait it out and stay hydrated," he said.
Dr. Jones said there is some risk for dehydration in the very young and elderly.
Dr. Bruns said patients under 3 months old, cancer patients, people with hemoglobin abnormalities, immune disorders or chronic gastrointestinal problems could be susceptible to the bacteria going into the bloodstream.
"These are the cases we treat with antibiotics," he said.
Health officials in both states said they were recommending that anyone who believed they may have eaten the peanut butter in the past few days go to their private physician.
Mr. Boss said local health departments will be collecting peanut butter jars for testing, as well as stool samples from those who claim to be ill.
The reaction to this outbreak is a little stronger than other recent outbreaks because peanut butter is so common, said Dr. Bruns.
"It's kind of a staple in American culture to eat peanut butter," he said.
E-mail Matt Wilson at mwilson@timesfreepress.com
