Salmonella linked to dried wood ear mushrooms has sickened at least 41 people and hospitalized four, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said earlier this week.
The cases are from Jan. 21 to Aug. 26 and have been reported in 10 states. The mushrooms were distributed directly to restaurants and not sold to consumers.
The dried wood ear mushrooms are believed to have come from California’s Wismettac Asian Foods, Inc., which voluntarily recalled the mushrooms.
According to the CDC, mushrooms were sent to Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Washington DC, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and British Columbia in Canada.
The CDC recommends customers in those states ask where the mushrooms came from before ordering. Dried wood ear mushrooms are also referred to as Kikurage, Dried Black Fungus, Dried Fungus, or Mu’er/Mu Er/Mu-Err.
Symptoms of Salmonella Infection
- Most people infected with Salmonella develop diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps 6 hours to 6 days after being exposed to the bacteria.
- The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days, and most people recover without treatment.
- In some people, the illness may be so severe that the patient needs to be hospitalized. Salmonella infection may spread from the intestines to the bloodstream and then to other places in the body.
- Children younger than 5 years, adults 65 years and older, and people with weakened immune systems are more likely to have a severe illness.
You can find more details from the CDC here.