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Sprouts blamed for salmonella By BILL KETTLER A small outbreak of salmonella has been traced to contaminated bean sprouts that were served at Ashland High School almost a month ago. Three cases of salmonella were reported to the Oregon Health Division -- one case in Multnomah County; one in Clackamas County and one in Jackson County. Investigators traced the outbreak to mung bean sprouts that were served during a high-school drama conference in Ashland on March 31-April 1. Salmonella bacteria is spread through food and fecal matter and causes abdominal cramps and violent diarrhea. Bill Keene, of the Oregon Health Division, said the bean sprouts were grown by Pacific Coast Sprouts, in Sacramento, and distributed by General Produce, in Redding. Keene said California public health officials implicated the same source in an outbreak of at least 45 cases of salmonella in Yolo and Placer counties. More than 660 students attended the Ashland drama conference, including 40 from Ashland and 21 from Phoenix. Most of the students came from Multnomah and Clackamas counties and other communities in the Willamette Valley. Keene said a caterer used about 10 pounds of sprouts to make 700 lunches. A lunch served on April 1 featured Chinese chicken salad with sesame-ginger vinaigrette, carrots, bean sprouts, chow mein noodles and tomatoes. All but 30 to 40 of the lunches were distributed to students, teachers and other adults. Three people became sick enough to see a doctor and have laboratory work that identified salmonella as the cause of their illness. Keene said the extent of unreported illness is unknown. The sprouts were delivered to restaurants in Bandon and perhaps other sites. He noted that in previous sprout-related salmonella outbreaks, relatively few people who have been exposed to the bacteria get sick enough to see a doctor. "It's almost unheard of," he said, "to find more than one case per group." He said "sproutbreaks" typically have long incubation periods. Many people ingest salmonella without getting sick, said Hank Collins, director of Jackson County Department of Health and Human Services. "Salmonella's a funny thing," he said. "It's real hit and miss." Today's Edition : News | Sports | Business | Weather | Tempo | Classifieds Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA