Patient count in Salmonella outbreak traced to cucumbers nearly doubles

An outbreak of Salmonella infections traced to cucumbers from Florida is growing.

As of May 30, 45 people across 18 states had been infected. Sixteen people have been hospitalized, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The patients range in age from 2 to 84 years old.

Cucumbers from Bedner Growers Inc. of Boynton Beach, FL, have been determined to be the source of the outbreak. Whole fresh cucumbers from the farm were distributed by Fresh Start Produce Inc. Cucumbers from the farm, as well as a number of products made with them, have been recalled.

Illnesses began on April 2 and include cruise ship passengers from six different ships. Sick people reported buying and eating cucumbers from a variety of locations including grocery stores, restaurants, hospitals and on the cruise ships. 

There are likely many more outbreak patients than have been identified. The CDC reports that for every patient identified during a Salmonella outbreak, there are 29 who go undetected. This is because some people do not seek medical treatment and others are not specifically tested for Salmonella infection.

The Food and Drug Administration is continuing to investigate the outbreak. The agency conducted an inspection at Bedner Farms Inc. in April as a follow up to an outbreak in 2024. During the inspection, environmental samples were collected. An environmental sample was identified as the outbreak strain of Salmonella making people sick this year.

As part of the investigation, the FDA collected a product sample of Bedner Growers Inc., cucumbers from a distribution center in Pennsylvania. Salmonella was detected in the sample of cucumbers. Whole genome sequencing analysis determined that the product sample contained Salmonella Montevideo, which matched the strain of Salmonella linked to illnesses in this year’s outbreak.

Other types of Salmonella were detected in the cucumber sample collected, originating from Bedner Growers Inc. In addition to Salmonella Montevideo, multiple other strains of Salmonella, unrelated to this outbreak investigation, matched other isolates in the National Center for Biotechnology Information’s database that occurred in 2025 and previous years. The CDC is working to determine if additional human illnesses match these additional strains.

2024 cucumber Salmonella outbreak

Cucumbers from Bedner Growers Inc. and Thomas Produce Company of Boca Raton, FL, were found to be the source of a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Africana and Salmonella Braenderup infections with 551 illnesses reported from 34 states and the District of Columbia in 2024.

The FDA conducted onsite inspections at Bender Growers Inc. and Thomas Produce Company and collected samples. Salmonella Braenderup was detected in samples of canal water at both farms. 

Whole Genome Sequencing analysis determined that the water used by Thomas Produce Company contained Salmonella that is a match to a strain of Salmonella Braenderup that caused some of the illnesses in the outbreak. Additionally, the water used by Bedner Growers Inc. also contained Salmonella that was a match to a different strain of Salmonella Braenderup that caused some of the illnesses in the 2024 outbreak.

Additional types of Salmonella were detected in both soil and water samples collected at both Bedner Growers, Inc. and Thomas Produce Company. Multiple other strains of Salmonella, unrelated to this outbreak investigation, found at Bedner Growers and Thomas Produce Company, matched clinical isolates from illnesses in the National Center for Biotechnology Information’s database that occurred in 2024 and previous years.

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