The outbreak, which was traced to a grower in Florida, has spread to 18 states, according to the C.D.C. Several distributors and stores, including Target, have recalled products containing cucumbers.
A salmonella outbreak linked to cucumbers has sickened at least 45 people across 18 states, health officials said Friday and they warned that the number of people infected was likely higher.
Companies including Target have issued recalls for products with cucumbers that may be contaminated.
The cases have been reported across the Midwest and East Coast, with nearly a third of them in Georgia and Florida, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
It said 16 people had been hospitalized. Salmonella can cause diarrhea, fever, stomach cramps and dehydration.
Health officials have linked the outbreak to Bedner Growers, a cucumber grower based in Boynton Beach, Fla., that sells to wholesale distributors and directly to consumers. Potentially contaminated cucumbers, distributed between April 29 and May 19, were sold widely to stores and restaurants, the C.D.C. said.
Eight of the sick people had been on cruise ships in the week before they fell ill, all departing from ports in Florida, the C.D.C. said.