According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2005 salmonellosis caused two million cases of foodborne illness annually, resulting in 500 to 2000 deaths in the United States.
In March 2009, Setton Pistachio of California recalled two million pounds of nuts, sold to wholesalers, according to FoodPoisonJournal.com. This recall occurred before any illnesses, because Georgia Nut of Skokie, Illinois, in its own testing of Setton pistachios, found salmonella. George Nut makes Back To Nature Trail Mix for Kraft Foods. This recall involved four different strains of salmonella. CDC.gov reported that salmonella illnesses represent 3 percent of the illnesses that occur, because most ill people do not seek medical attention, or do not have a culture taken.
Salmonella Symptoms
Symptoms of salmonella gastroenteritis include: nausea, vomiting and diarrhea six to 48 hours after ingestion of contaminated food. Diarrhea, characterized as loose, nonbloody and moderate in volume, resolves by three to seven days, and fever within 72 hours, according to "Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine."
Other Salmonella Symptoms
Other symptoms include fever, 38 to 39 degrees C, or 100.5 to 102.2 degrees F; chills, headache and crampy abdominal pain. The symptoms can last up to two weeks. Neonates, the elderly and immuno-compromised patients, can easily become dehydrated and may need to be hospitalized, according to "Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine."
Pistachios
According to a report on msnbc.msn.com, roasting kills bacteria in pistachio nuts. However, salmonella can survive or can recontaminate the nuts if there is incorrect roasting or infection of roasted nuts by rodent or bird droppings or cockroaches in the processing plant. Furthermore, Setton had the potential for cross-contamination between raw and processed pistachios. Companies often use different colored gloves for the raw area and the roasted area. However, at the Setton plant, workers used the same- colored gloves in both areas.
References
- "Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine"; Dennis Kasper, M.D.; 2005
- FDA: Avoid pistachios amid salmonella scare
- Food Poison Journal: Pistachios, Peanuts and Almonds, and Salmonella
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Salmonella in Pistachio Nuts, 2009
