A salmonella outbreak has been spreading through the U.S. and Puerto Rico.
The outbreak of the outbreak salmonella strain Heidelberg has been linked to Foster Farms Brand Chicken, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) news release reported.
The illness has spread across 23 states and Puerto Rico, but 74 percent of the cases have been reported in California.
Salmonella can be deadly; but so far 39 percent of all ill persons have been hospitalized and no deaths have been reported.
"Epidemiologic, laboratory, and traceback investigations conducted by local, state, and federal officials indicate that consumption of Foster Farms brand chicken is the likely source of this outbreak of Salmonella Heidelberg infections," the CDC news release stated.
The Heidelberg strain has been known to show antibiotic resistance, which can increase the risk of hospitalization in those infected.
The first health alert was issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA) on Oct. 7 2013, it mentioned salmonella risk associated with Foster Farms.
Only two days later it was announced that "Foster Farms submitted and implemented immediate substantive changes to their slaughter and processing to allow for continued operations," the CDC reported. The investigation is still ongoing.
Costco's El Camino Real store in San Francisco Calif. recalled around 23,000 units of rotisserie chicken because they suspected it may be infected with the Heidelberg strain of salmonella.
Most of the infected products are believed to be past expiration, but the CDC warned consumers to check their freezers to see if any of the products had been frozen for later consumption.
Recently two cases of Heidelberg salmonella were reported in Ariz., two in Colo., one in Wash., and 22 in Calif.
Symptoms of salmonella include "Nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, fever, chills, headache, muscle pains, and blood in the stool," MayoClinic reported.
