TORONTO - Officials say four Canadians have contracted the strain of salmonella responsible for a large food poisoning outbreak in the United States.
The Public Health Agency of Canada says two people each from Ontario and Alberta have tested positive for a strain of Salmonella Saintpaul that matches the genetic fingerprint of the U.S. outbreak strain.
One of the Ontario cases was announced last week.
It is thought all four were infected while travelling south of the border, where nearly 950 cases have been confirmed.
Agency spokesperson Dr. Andrea Ellis says it is known that three of the Canadians got sick shortly after returning to this country and the investigation into the fourth case is still underway.
But she says if the contaminated food responsible for the outbreak was being distributed in this country, the agency would have expected to see more cases than they have to date.
