ATLANTA - A nationwide salmonella outbreak that has struck 42 states has put about one in five of its victims in the hospital.
The U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention says nearly 400 people have become ill in the outbreak that might have killed one person.
An elderly woman in Minnesota had the infection when she died, although it's not clear that salmonella was the cause.
The same type of salmonella bacteria has been lab-confirmed in 388 cases nationwide.
The CDC is leading the investigation but has not yet released the list of states or determined which foods may have caused people to become sick.
However, health officials in Illinois, North Dakota, Ohio, Georgia, Minnesota and California have confirmed cases. Ohio and California reported the most, with 51 cases each.
Nationally, all the illnesses began between Sept. 3 and Dec. 29, but most of the people grew sick after Oct. 1.
Most people develop diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours after infection. The illness usually lasts four to seven days, and most people recover without treatment.
Officials say steps to protect against the illness include careful handling and preparation of raw meat, and frequent hand washing.
CDC officials say the cases in the outbreak have all been genetically fingerprinted as the Typhimurium type, which is among the most common forms of salmonella food poisoning.
Of those cases for which CDC officials have medical treatment information, 18 per cent were hospitalized.
A Connecticut congresswoman on Thursday said she was frustrated that health officials don't yet know how the bacteria has been spreading.
