Typhoid outbreak linked to fruit pulp

ATLANTA – A rare U.S. outbreak of typhoid fever has been linked to a frozen tropical fruit product used to make smoothies, health officials reported Thursday.

Seven cases have been confirmed – three in California and four in Nevada. Two California cases are being investigated.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said five of the victims drank milkshakes or smoothies made with frozen mamey fruit pulp. Four of them used pulp sold by Goya Foods Inc. of Secaucus, N.J.

Mamey is a sweet, reddish tropical fruit grown mainly in Central and South America. It is also known as zapote or sapote. It is peeled and mashed to make pulp, the CDC said.

The company has recalled packages of the pulp, sold in mostly Western states. A sample from one package found in Las Vegas tested positive for the bacteria that causes typhoid.

Typhoid fever is a life-threatening illness caused by a type of bacteria called Salmonella typhi. There are only about 400 cases annually.