Illnesses Tied To Taste Of Chicago Reach 491

Health department officials announced as of noon Saturday a total of 491 people reported becoming ill after eating food from the Pars Cove Persian Cuisine booth at the Taste of Chicago festival. The strain - Salmonella Heidelberg - is frequently seen in the United States, and causes food borne illnesses.  That number is up from the 378 reported Friday. Forty-four of the 491 are laboratory-confirmed cases of salmonellosis. Of the 44, 26 have been identified as one of the more common Salmonella serotypes in the United States. A total of 15 people are known to have been hospitalized. The source of the salmonella outbreak has not been pinpointed as coming from food or food handlers, but only one dish has been tied to illnesses according to a Chicago Department of Public Health news release – hummus shirazi, a fresh herb, tomato and cucumber salad over a bed of hummus.