Salmonella has dominated the news lately, but its not all eggs.  A Bakersfield, California mexican restaurant called Don Pericos has been identified as the source of a salmonella outbreak that has caused at least 4 confirmed illness.  Two of the victims remain hospitalized with severe illness; and health officials believe that the illness count will increase.  

The restaurant, located at 4701 White Lane, has been closed.  Health officials made the Don Perico connection Wednesday and inspected the restaurant, discovering multiple food safety violations; after a follow up inspection on Thursday, officials decided to temporarily close the restaurant down.  A health official said that food at the restaurant has been sampled for testing and the business will not re-open until an investigation has been completed and inspectors have made sure it is safe to patronize.

The specific strain of salmonella involved in the outbreak has not been made public, though health officials have indicated that the Don Perico salmonella outbreak is not tied to the national egg outbreak and recall.  Health officials are continuing to investigate the outbreak, and are working to determine exactly how many people were infected as a result of exposure to salmonella at the restaurant.