Tests positive for salmonella

Testing has confirmed the presence of salmonella in beef tri-tip cuts that were served at a recent event in Yuma or later donated to Crossroads Mission, county health officials said Thursday.

Becky Brooks, director of the Yuma County Health District, is urging anyone who took home some of the meat from the Hospice of Yuma roping roundup, barbecue and western dance at the Yuma County Fairgrounds to dispose of it.

Brooks said the health department began an investigation after receiving 92 notifications of gastrointestinal illness from Yuma Regional Medical Center, the mission, or from other individuals following the Feb. 2 event

The people who complained of the illness were thought to have eaten at the roping event or at the mission, which had received donations of leftover meat from the event.

The health department tracked down 20 people who reported being ill and tested them, Brooks said. Results of 10 of the tests were positive for salmonella, while results from the other 10 tests were pending as of Thursday, she said.

Those tests led the health department to have the meat tested for salmonella by the state Department of Health Services.

The state agency notified the health department Thursday that the meat tests found salmonella contamination in the tri-tip, Brooks said.