Avoid all alfalfa sprouts until further notice, warn U.S. health agencies.

RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—No one should eat any type of alfalfa sprouts until further notice because some may be contaminated with salmonella, a microbe that can cause fever and gastrointestinal discomfort, according to a warning from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). At least 35 people in six states have fallen ill after eating what seem to be salmonella-infected alfalfa sprouts.

THE DETAILS: Fortunately, no deaths have been associated with this latest salmonella warning, but people have been sickened in Michigan (17 cases), Minnesota (4), Ohio (3), Pennsylvania (6), South Dakota (2), Utah (1), and West Virginia (2.) Some of the victims purchased the sprouts at a market or store, but others ate food containing them in restaurants. Researchers tracing the outbreak believe this is an extension of contamination reported earlier in the year. The CDC is also investigating an outbreak of listeria, a bacterial infection that causes flu-like symptoms, linked to alfalfa sprouts.

WHAT IT MEANS: First peanuts, then pistachios, and now sprouts; salmonella-related food warnings seem to keep coming. And while the sprout contamination doesn’t seem as severe as the tainted peanut butter scandal that resulted in several deaths a few months back, it serves as a reminder that our food system is far from perfect.

Here’s what you need to know about alfalfa sprouts and salmonella.

• Washing won’t help. Salmonella on vegetables can often be killed by soaking the produce in a solution of 1 part vinegar to 9 parts water for at least 10 minutes. However, this won’t work for sprouts because the CDC believes the actual seeds were contaminated. Usually, commercially grown seeds are disinfected before sprouting, but compliance with that requirement may have slipped through the cracks in this case, opening the door for infection.

• Symptoms are dangerous for some. Most people who have eaten tainted sprouts will come down with diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps 12 to 72 hours after the meal, and the illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days. A healthy person will recover with no complications, but the very young, the elderly, and people with weak immune systems may get very sick unless they take antibiotics.

• Don’t eat sprouts, but if you must… Health officials don’t want anyone to eat any alfalfa sprouts until their investigation sorts things out, but if you absolutely must, they say the sprouts should be cooked first to kill the bacteria. People at risk for complications of salmonella poisoning (see above) should absolutely not eat the sprouts, the CDC warns.