Though Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is working with public health officials to trace the cause of the salmonella outbreak, the cause still remains unknown. The present outbreak is of a particular type of salmonella called Typhimurium. Since September 3, at least 388 people have been infected with this bacterial disease. Nearly 69 people had to be hospitalized.

The CDC has not been able to pin point the food item that might have led to the outbreak. The CDC has not even released a list of the states involved in the investigation.

Doug Schultz, a spokesman for the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) in St. Paul said, "We had one death that may be associated with the outbreak. The patient was a woman in her 70s who had "many other health conditions, so we don't know to what extent the Salmonella infection contributed."

Salmonella patients suffer from diarrhea, fever and cramps between 12 and 72 hours after contracting the infection. Usually the infection lasts for 4 to 7 days. Usually the symptoms fade away without any treatment but in rare cases it can take a severe turn. Such cases usually occur with infants and elderly who do not have a strong immunity.