The salmonella outbreak of 2008 continues to spread with more than 1,000 cases reported. While the source remains unknown, tomatoes are still the main suspect with a few new foods added to the "questionable" list

Health officials haven't changed their recommendations about what tomatoes are safe to eat, and tomatoes are still a prime suspect in the salmonella outbreak, at least 1,017 people have been sickened.

At least 300 people who came down with Salmonella infection became sick on or after June 1.

The recent cases are the basis for the CDC's new advice on jalapeno and serrano peppers. Based on that data, jalapeno peppers apparently caused some but not all of those illnesses. . Health officials are also investigating fresh cilantro but haven't made any recommendations about cilantro consumption.

The FDA is testing cilantro, jalapeno peppers, and Serrano peppers, as well as tomatoes, to find the source of the

Salmonella outbreak that has sickened at least 1,017 people in 40 states and Washington, D.C.

The FDA began testing cilantro, jalapeno peppers, and Serrano peppers within the past few days. Jalapeno peppers and Serrano peppers are hot peppers that are often used in salsa.

But the FDA hasn't made any recommendations about eating -- or avoiding -- cilantro, jalapeno peppers, and Serrano peppers. For now, the FDA’s advice to consumers is still all about tomatoes.

Last week, the FDA announced that it was broadening its search for the source of the outbreak beyond tomatoes. At the time, FDA officials declined to get specific about what other types of produce they were probing, except that those items were commonly eaten with tomatoes.The salmonella outbreak is the largest food-borne outbreak of any kind in the U.S. in the past decade. Certain types of tomatoes started out as the leading suspects in the outbreak, but the FDA recently began testing cilantro, jalapeno peppers, and serrano peppers -- all typical salsa ingredients -- for Salmonella saintpaul, the rare salmonella strain implicated in the outbreak.

Salmonella are bacteria that can live in the intestinal tracts of humans and other animals. There are many strains of salmonella; the tomato outbreak involves an uncommon strain called Salmonella Saintpaul.

Salmonella infection (salmonellosis) can cause diarrhea (which may be bloody), fever, nausea, vomiting, and

abdominal pain. Symptoms usually start 12-72 hours after infection.

By a stool test.

Most people don't require treatment other than drinking plenty of fluids. People with severe diarrhea may require rehydration with intravenous fluids. Antibiotics are usually not used unless the salmonella infection has spread beyond the intestines.

Salmonella can pass from human or animal feces to soil, fruits, vegetables, water, or other surfaces. People usually get salmonella by eating contaminated foods. However, salmonella can also spread through contact with pet feces or by handling contaminated pet food. Reptiles are particularly likely to harbor salmonella bacteria, and chicks and ducklings can carry them too, notes the CDC. The U.S. government bans the sale of small pet turtles because of salmonella risk.

Salmonella is commonly found in birds, in reptiles, in chickens, and in humans. There are more than 2,000 types of salmonella.

Every year, the CDC gets reports of about 40,000 cases of salmonella illnesses. The actual number of cases may be higher because not all cases get reported to the CDC. In fact, the CDC estimates that for every reported case, 38 cases go unreported.

An estimated 400 people per year die of acute salmonella infection, according to the CDC.

But the St. Paul salmonella strain is rare in humans. Last year, there were 400 reported cases. And last year there were only 25 cases of infection with the specific Saintpaul subtype causing the current outbreak.