Peanut Butter Salmonella Cases Now Top 600

The number of people sickened since August by peanut butter tainted with salmonella has grown by more than 200, according to a new federal report.

The outbreak, first reported in February, now includes 628 cases in 47 states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday. It is the first update on the number of cases linked to the outbreak since early March, when officials said 425 cases had been confirmed in 44 states.

ConAgra Foods Inc. recalled all its peanut butter in February after government investigators linked the bacteria outbreak to the Omaha-based company's Peter Pan and Great Value peanut butter.

The CDC said the number of new salmonella cases dropped substantially after the peanut butter was recalled.

The states with no illnesses reported are Hawaii, New Hampshire and Utah, the CDC said.

Wal-Mart has continued selling Great Value peanut butter — its store brand — that is made by different suppliers, but Peter Pan has yet to return to stores.

ConAgra plans to reintroduce Peter Pan in July. Initially, another company will produce the peanut butter because it doesn't expect to be able to resume production at its Sylvester, Ga., plant until sometime in August, after renovations. Sylvester has been ConAgra's only peanut butter plant.

ConAgra officials have said they believe moisture in the plant likely helped bacteria to grow and later infect the finished product. They blamed a leaky roof and faulty sprinkler

Jars of Peter Pan and Great Value peanut butter with a product code on the lid beginning with "2111" should be thrown out or returned to stores where they were purchased for a refund.

"Every year, approximately 40,000 cases of salmonellosis are reported in the U.S.," reports WebMD. "Because many milder cases are not diagnosed or reported, the actual number of infections may be 30 or more times greater. ... Symptoms of salmonellosis include diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps."