The Honolulu Star-Bulletin reported again on the ongoing story last week of about 33 illness of Salmonella Paratyphi B tied to the consumption of yellow fin Tuna Ahi. Now Choyce Products announced that it has voluntarily recalled 11,000 pounds of previously frozen yellow fin tuna that tested positive for salmonella. About 5,000 pounds of the contaminated Ahi was sold to some five businesses, but it is not clear how much was recovered or if any had already been sold to consumers.

The Health Department believes the illnesses are related to previously frozen ahi, which was imported to Hawaii and eaten raw.

Salmonella Paratyphi B is host-specialized, for it grows well and causes disease only in humans, whereas most strains of Salmonella can grow in the gut of almost all animals, both domesticated and wild. Humans usually acquire Salmonella Paratyphi B by the ingestion of water or of food that has been contaminated through fecal contact with humans. Most isolates of Salmonella belong to the species S. enterica, which is further subdivided into many serovars based on antigens on their surface; one of these serovars is Paratyphi B. Paratyphi B is quite diverse and human infection is sometimes not associated with human to human system infection but rather associated with foodborne infection (Prager et al, 2003).

Hawaii would be a good trip to take this time of year.