WASHINGTON (AP) - Federal health officials are investigating an
outbreak of salmonella that has sickened 90 people in 19 states and
the District of Columbia, according to a Food and Drug
Administration memo.

The outbreak may be linked to sushi and has caused at least seven hospitalizations, according to the memo distributed internally to FDA staff. No deaths have been reported to date.

Investigators are focusing on six clusters of restaurants in Texas, Wisconsin, Maryland, Rhode Island and Connecticut.

FDA spokesman Curtis Allen would not confirm or elaborate on the
information, saying the memo "contains numbers of cases and
hospitalizations that cannot be confirmed at this time."

Allen said the illness is linked to salmonella Bareilly, a bacteria strain previously associated with outbreaks in bean sprouts.

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