Houston cancer patient had salmonella

HOUSTON, June 10 (UPI) -- The recent death of a Houston cancer patient may have been hastened by salmonella contracted when he ate tomatoes at a celebratory meal.

A spokeswoman for the Houston Health Department said that lymphoma is listed as the cause of 67-year-old Raul Rivera's death, the Houston Chronicle reported Tuesday. But she said that salmonella infection has been confirmed and that it was a contributing factor.

At least 167 people in the 17 states have contracted salmonella recently through eating tomatoes since April 16. Rivera's death is the first linked to the outbreak.

A number of restaurant chains, including McDonald's, Burger King and Taco Bell, have taken tomatoes off the menu. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has advised that plum, Roma and round red tomatoes may be infected.

Barbara Rivera, the dead man's wife, said that four other relatives became sick. The family was eating out because Rivera had received good news about his treatment.

Salmonella is especially dangerous to people with suppressed immune systems.