Report: Tainted ground beef sickens 18

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ATLANTA, Feb. 16 (UPI) -- An investigation of a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium found infection in 18 people was linked to ground beef, U.S. health officials said.

Investigators at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta identified one person sickened in Arizona, one in Iowa, two in Illinois, nine in Michigan and five in Wisconsin. Fifty percent of the sickened people were hospitalized, but no deaths were reported, the CDC said.

Collaborative investigative efforts by state, local and federal public health and regulatory agencies indicated ground beef produced by Jouni Meats Inc. and Gab Halal Foods were the likely sources of the outbreak.

Seven of the ill persons reported eating a raw ground beef dish at the same restaurant before becoming ill and the restaurant served raw beef to customers and had acquired the raw beef from two retailers, the CDC said.

Jouni Meats Inc. recalled approximately 500 pounds of ground beef products Jan. 24, and Gab Halal Foods recalled approximately 550 pounds of ground beef products Jan. 25.

Consumers should never eat raw or undercooked ground beef -- beef hamburgers and beef mixtures such as meatloaf should be cooked to 160 degrees F internal temperature using a food temperature, health officials said.