UPDATE: 6 Twin Cities area salmonella illnesses linked to Minnesota organic eggs

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ST. PAUL — At least six people have gotten sick from salmonella linked to organic eggs from a Minnesota farm that were sold in three states, agriculture and health officials said.

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture Department said Wednesday that it traced the salmonella strain to the Larry Schultz Organic Farm in Owatonna, a small city in Steele County about 65 miles south of Minneapolis-St. Paul.

The farm's owner is cooperating with the investigation and has issued a voluntary recall of the eggs, which were distributed to restaurants, grocery stores, food wholesalers and food-service companies in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan, according to state officials.

Routine disease monitoring by state health officials identified six cases of salmonella enteritidis infection with the same DNA fingerprint. The six people from the Twin Cities area, children and adults, got sick between Aug. 12 and Sept. 24, health officials said. Three were hospitalized, but have since recovered.

Five of the six people who got sick reported eating eggs from the Larry Schultz Organic Farm purchased at grocery stores or co-ops.

The recalled eggs were distributed under the brands Lunds & Byerlys Organic, Kowalski's Organic and Larry Schultz Organic Farm, and were sold in cartons of six, 12 and 18.

Health officials recommended consumers cook eggs thoroughly before eating them in order to destroy any bacteria. Consumers who believe they may have purchased some of the recalled eggs can return them to the store where they were purchased for a refund, state officials said.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.

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