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At least 100 people in and around Plzeň came down with symptoms of salmonella poisoning after eating spaghetti carbonara made by a catering company called Zrtas, according to media reports.

Some 50 people have been hospitalized and a similar number is being treated for food poisoning on an outpatient basis.

The spaghetti meals suspected of causing the illness were prepared Friday, July 24, and delivered in paper and foil cartons in and around the Plzeň area. Since the shelf life is listed as five days, more of the meals still may be available.

The company linked to the outbreak made 140 meals of spaghetti with Parmesan cheese, bacon and eggs and delivered them to multiple companies and institutions. The exact ingredient at the root of the outbreak has not been determined, but salmonella is often linked to eggs.

The company has provided a list of its clients to health authorities and is cooperating, daily Mladá fronta Dnes reported.
Microbiological analysis has confirmed the presence of salmonella bacteria in patients.

The University Hospital in Plzeň had to rush to make space for the number of patients, and six had to go to a regional hospital in Klatovy.

The catering company will not produce food on Monday, July 27. Instead, workers will be examined to see if any of them carries the bacteria.

The flood of patients on Saturday slowed on Sunday, according to hospital officials, who consider the case to be under control.
Symptoms of salmonella include nausea, diarrhea, fever, vomiting, chills, headache and abdominal cramps. They develop 12 to 72 hours after infection, and the illness usually lasts four to seven days. There are some 2,000 strains of the salmonella bacteria and not all of them cause illness.