Salmonella at Indiana farm matches outbreak strain - 13 WTHR Indianapolis

The Food and Drug Administration says salmonella found at a cantaloupe farm in southwestern Indiana matches the "DNA fingerprint" of the salmonella responsible for a deadly outbreak that sickened people in 21 states.

FDA spokeswoman Shelly Burgess said Tuesday that testing was done on salmonella found on cantaloupes and surface areas at Chamberlain Farms in Owensville.

The results showed that the salmonella was of the same strain that caused the recent outbreak, which killed two Kentucky residents and sickened 178 people, including 62 who were hospitalized.

Burgess says the tests confirmed that the farm was a source of the bacteria. But she says the FDA is still investigating whether there were other possible sources tied to the outbreak.

Chamberlain Farms voluntarily withdrew its cantaloupes from stores two weeks ago.

Investigators are looking for other possible sources of the outbreak.

Meantime, Indiana health officials say the number of Indiana residents diagnosed with salmonella traced to tainted cantaloupes has risen to 22.

State Department of Health spokeswoman Amy Reel says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Tuesday that Indiana's confirmed salmonella cases has risen by four from 18 last week.

The salmonella outbreak tied to Indiana-grown cantaloupes has killed two Kentucky residents and illnesses reported in 21 states.

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