Victim of 2007 outbreak: 'Salmonella ruined me'

Michael Thomas had nine siblings, but he was the one who grew up as the "peanut butter kid." His idea of a great meal was a classic PB and J: white bread slathered with jelly and half a jar of the creamy, nutty all-American spread.

But the last time he ate peanut butter was on Feb. 27, 2007.

Two days later, Thomas woke up at his home with dry heaves, stomach cramps, diarrhea and bloody mucus. He was treated at a local hospital, but two years later, Thomas is still sick.

He was diagnosed with a salmonella infection believed to be linked to Peter Pan, made at the ConAgra Foods plant in Sylvester, Ga., though no stool culture was taken to confirm it. Peter Pan was part of a previous outbreak of salmonella in 2006-07 that affected hundreds of people nationwide.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says 40,000 cases of salmonella poisoning are reported every year. About 400 people die, and a fraction of those who fall ill from the food-borne bacterial infection develop health issues that include chronic arthritis, eye irritation, irritable bowel syndrome, gallbladder problems and painful urination.

"It's pain, pain and more pain," Thomas said in an interview. "I had never been sick a day of my life. Then salmonella ruined me — physically, emotionally and financially."

As victims of the recent outbreak of salmonella begin to speak out, those who continue to suffer, like Thomas, expressed disappointment that more Americans are falling ill.

So far, the outbreak linked to a Blakely, Ga., peanut processing plant has sickened more than 550 people and may have contributed to the deaths of eight. The plant is owned by Peanut Corp. of America.

For the first 5 ½ months, Thomas said, he could not even get out of bed. He took antibiotics for almost 11 months. He could no longer work as a real estate lender. He had no health insurance and visited emergency rooms when he felt extremely ill. He could not keep up with bills and lost his house.

"My life fell apart in Georgia," said Thomas, 52, who moved from suburban Atlanta to Detroit a year ago to be with his son.

Dr. W. Hayes Wilson, chief of rheumatology at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta, said some people born with the HLAB27 antigen on their cells are predisposed to developing reactive arthritis after suffering from bacterial infections, including salmonellosis.

"Genetics are the loaded gun. Salmonella pulls the trigger," Wilson said.

In others, salmonella can lodge in the gallbladder and make that person a chronic carrier of the bacteria, said Dr. Carlos del Rio, chief of medicine at Grady Hospital.

"They may need gallbladder removal," he said. "Or they could infect other people."

Studies have also associated salmonella infections with gastric and bladder cancer.

Thomas said his father had called him after hearing about the 2006-07 outbreak to warn the "peanut butter kid" to stay away from his staple. But he had already eaten Peter Pan with a batch number that contained salmonella.

"This has ruined my life," said Thomas.

He still has the half-empty jar of Peter Pan he believes made him sick for a lifetime.

And though he craves the nutty stuff, he now reaches for a slice or two of bologna instead.