Dallas Salmonella Outbreak Traced to Hotel Worker

DALLAS - More than 650 people from all 50 states have become ill with salmonellosis after visiting the Wyndham Anatole Hotel in Dallas.

Health officials have tracked the outbreak to a salsa served at the hotel and an infected food-service employee. The employee, who reportedly did not have symptoms of the disease, prepared the salsa daily. Officials did not report how the worker initially became infected.

There were more than 80 meetings during March and April at the hotel. While 650 people reported have symptoms of the bacteria after eating hotel food, 50 were confirmed cases.

Salmonella enteritidis, usually found in contaminated eggs, can be lethal. However, everyone involved in the Dallas outbreak has recovered. It is estimated that 6,000 people are infected annually in the United States with the bacterium. However, federal health officials did not recall the last time an outbreak involved patients in all 50 states.

Information from www.sfgate.com