Pepper warning issued

WASHINGTON — Federal health officials blame raw jalapeños for some of the illnesses in the three-month-old salmonella outbreak and Wednesday advised the elderly, infants and people with compromised immune systems to avoid them.

Investigators still think tomatoes — the original suspect in the outbreak — have made people sick and are considering the possibility that the same rare strain of salmonella has contaminated tomatoes and peppers.

The number of people who have gotten sick has reached 1,017, making it the largest outbreak of food-borne illness in 10 years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

One death, a Texas man in his 80s, has been linked to the outbreak. Another Texan, in his 60s, who died of cancer, was infected with the outbreak strain.

The new warning also applies to raw serrano peppers, which are often confused with jalapeños.

Last week, officials started testing peppers for Salmonella Saintpaul, but they did not issue a warning until Wednesday.

"We thought of this as our way of protecting those at greatest risk as more information develops about jalapeños," said Robert Tauxe, a top CDC official. The CDC is leading the probe along with the Food and Drug Administration.

The tomato recommendation — to avoid red plum, Roma and vineless red round tomatoes grown outside certain areas — remains in effect for all consumers.

Investigators have not found the bacteria on any of the peppers they've tested, said David Acheson, a top food-safety official with the agency. Results on many more samples are due.

Investigators added jalapeños, cilantro and serrano peppers to the list of suspects last week after people continued to fall ill despite the June 7 warning to avoid certain tomatoes.