The sushi-salmonella outbreak just keeps getting worse.
MSNBC reported that now, at least 200 people have become sick from eating salmonella-tainted "tuna-scrape," packaged as "Nakaochi Scrape AA."
"Tuna scrape," which is the name of backmeat from fish bones, is often used in sushi, HuffPost Food reported.
The sicknesses from the sushi have been linked with two different strains of salmonella, including Bareilly and Nchanga; both are considered rare strains, MSNBC reported.
There are more than 2,500 types of salmonella, and some of them have become increasingly drug-resistant over the years because of antimicrobial use in both animals and humans, according to the World Health Organization.
MSNBC reported that there have been no deaths so far linked with this salmonella outbreak, though 28 people have been hospitalized.
The Mayo Clinic reported that symptoms of salmonella infection can last anywhere from four days to a week. Symptoms include diarrhea and vomiting, abdominal pain, muscle pains, having blood in the stool and fever and chills.
However, complications can occur from salmonella infection, particularly in people like older adults, kids, people who have received organ transplants, pregnant women and people whose immune systems otherwise are weakened, the Mayo Clinic reported. Complications include becoming dehydrated (due to the diarrhea), bacteremia (which is when the salmonella makes its way into the bloodstream and infects tissues and bones), and reactive arthritis (which causes symptoms of pain when urinating, joint pain and eye irritation).
WebMD reported that there are about 40,000 reported cases of salmonellosis each year in the U.S., though not everyone who gets it reports it (so the number may be as much as 30 times higher).
Salmonella doesn't usually have to be treated, as it goes away on its own after a few days, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, if a person has been severely affected and is dehydrated because of the infection, intravenous fluids may be necessary for rehydration. Antibiotics might also be necessary if infection spreads elsewhere in the body.