The Latest: Botulism outbreak seems limited to 1 cheese bag


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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The Latest on a botulism outbreak linked to nacho-cheese dip sold at a California gas station (all times local):

4:35 p.m.

California health officials said a botulism outbreak linked to nacho-cheese sauce appears limited to an opened bag of the sauce.

The statement on Thursday comes after the state Department of Public Health found no traces of the toxin in another unopened bag of the sauce that was seized from the fuel station in Walnut Grove, a suburb of Sacramento.

The toxin can cause paralysis, breathing difficulty and, in a small fraction of cases, death. A 37-year-old man died and nine others fell ill after eating the sauce.

Earlier this week a Sacramento woman who contracted botulism sued the gas station and the maker of the cheese dip, alleging negligence.

A spokeswoman for Wisconsin-based Gehl Foods says she hasn't seen the lawsuit and couldn't comment on the allegations.

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2:10 p.m.

A woman who contracted botulism after eating nacho-cheese sauce sold at a California gas station is suing the business and the maker of the cheese dip.

Lavinia Kelly's lawsuit claims she suffered severe and permanent injuries and alleges negligence in the manufacturing, distribution and sale of the tainted sauce sold last month in Walnut Grove, a suburb of Sacramento.

State health officials say the contamination killed one person and sickened nine others.

Kelly's attorney, Bill Marler, says there are at least two more unconfirmed cases of botulism linked to the outbreak and he expects to add five more people to the lawsuit.

Marler says the contamination appears to be confined to one bag of cheese dip and that some sort of manufacturing defect enabled the botulism spore to grow inside the bag.

Calls to the defendants have not been returned.

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This story has been corrected to show that a spokeswoman, not an attorney, for Gehl Foods said she hasn't seen the lawsuit.

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