**1.2** *Salmonella* **Saintpaul outbreak**

From April to August of 2008, the US CDC Health Department confirmed the occurrence of a multistate *Salmonella* serotype Saintpaul outbreak affecting 43 US states, Columbia district and Canada (Figure 4). In August of 2008, a total of 1,442 cases and at least 286 hospitalizations and two deaths were reported. The US Health authorities argued high association (85%) of tomato and later jalapeño peppers as the pathogen transmission vehicles and pointed out Sinaloa tomato production as a possible source of the bacterial strain (CDC, 2008). The outbreak and the CDC call alerted both countries, which started to work together to source track the origin of the causative agent.
