High rates of Salmonella contamination have been identified in kratom products collected and tested since February 2018, according to a statement published by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identified an outbreak of illnesses due to Salmonella initially involving 24 people, a high proportion of whom reported recent consumption of kratom, an addictive opioid that is not legally marketed in the United States as a drug or dietary supplement.

Some of the affected patients still had the kratom they had consumed before becoming ill; others provided information on source and brand of kratom ingested. Samples of these products were taken for further testing. A total of 199 cases of salmonellosis in 41 states were linked to kratom consumption as of the end of May 2018; 38 percent of these led to hospitalizations. Of 81 samples of kratom collected for testing, 42 (52 percent) were contaminated with Salmonella, indicating that a high proportion of kratom being shipped into the United States may be contaminated.

"Kratom is an inherently addictive product that can cause harm, which is reason enough not to consume it," according to the statement. "Now, in addition to those risks, we can conclude that there may be a high proportion of kratom and kratom-containing products contaminated with Salmonella. It's another firm reminder of why people should avoid kratom."

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