As of May 30, 2025, a total of 45 people infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella have been reported from 18 states. Eight sick people reported taking a cruise during the seven days prior to becoming sick, all departing from locations in Florida. Three people traveled on the same ship. Sick people were aboard 6 different cruise ships that departed the United States between March 30 and April 12. Illnesses started on dates ranging from April 2, 2025, to May 10, 2025. Of the 40 people with information available, 16 have been hospitalized and no deaths have been reported.
Alabama 1, California 1, Colorado 1, Florida 6, Georgia 7, Illinois 4, Indiana 1, Kansas 1, Kentucky 1, Massachusetts 1, Michigan 2, North Carolina 3, New York 3, Ohio 4, Pennsylvania 3, South Carolina 2, Tennessee 1 and Virginia 3.
DNA fingerprinting is performed on bacteria using a method called whole genome sequencing (WGS). WGS showed that bacteria from sick people’s samples are closely related genetically. This suggests that people in this outbreak got sick from the same food.
People reported buying and eating cucumbers from a variety of locations including grocery stores, restaurants, hospitals and on cruise ships. FDA’s traceback investigation identified Bedner Growers Inc. as the common grower of cucumbers in this outbreak.
FDA conducted an inspection at Bedner Farms Inc. in April 2025 as a follow up to a previous outbreak. During their inspection, environmental samples were collected. An environmental sample was identified as the outbreak strain of Salmonella.
As part of this investigation, 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 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. CDC is working to determine if additional human illnesses match these additional strains. Further analysis of the sample is pending.
CDC advises businesses to not sell or serve whole cucumbers grown by Bedner Growers Inc. and distributed by Fresh Start Produce Sales, Inc. between April 29, 2025, and May 19, 2025, while the investigation is ongoing. If you have any whole cucumbers in your home and can’t tell where they are from, throw them out.