Dennis McNeil is a communicable disease specialist with a sense of humor.

Deep into a conversation about salmonella Wednesday afternoon, he reached into a desk drawer and pulled out a package of Austin Cheese Crackers with Peanut Butter.

“Care for one?” he asked, straight-faced.

The Kellogg’s product is one of 125 foods recalled during an ongoing outbreak of salmonella that has sickened almost 500 people in 43 states and Canada. The recall list includes products made with peanut butter and peanut paste produced at the Peanut Corporation of America plant in Blakely, Ga. The company sold the peanut butter and paste to food manufacturers as ingredients in commercial products such as crackers, cereal, dog biscuits, ice cream and cookies.

The company doesn’t sell directly to consumers.

McNeil, who works for the Umatilla County Public Health Department, said Umatilla County hasn’t yet had any salmonella cases. Neither has Morrow County, according to Morrow County Public Health Nurse Jennifer Jaca.

“It’s been found on both sides of us, but nothing here yet,” McNeil said.

So far, the strain of salmonella has affected seven Oregonians, and another case is suspected.

“There’s one other person who has salmonella who ate an Austin Cheese Cracker,” McNeil said, “but the lab work isn’t finished yet.”

The Oregon State Department of Agriculture decided to send out recorded telephone warnings about the outbreak to the state’s registered retailers. The move came after officials learned about tanker trucks loaded with potentially-contaminated peanut butter and paste had traveled to food manufacturers across the country.

Peanut Corporation’s customers include 77 distributors and manufacturers who use the paste for hundreds of commercial products. For a complete of recalled products, go to U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Web site at www.fda.gov.

The culprit in this outbreak is a type of salmonella bacteria called Salmonella Typhimurium, one of 2,500 different types.

“Within that type, there are 100 different sub-strains,” McNeil said.

If a private medical lab identifies salmonella, a sample goes to the state lab for further tests.

Salmonella causes diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps, which kick in 12 to 72 hours after being infected.

“Most people recover without treatment,” McNeil said. “We had 40,000 cases in the United States last year – most are isolated instances that aren’t tied to any food source.”

This summer, another strain of salmonella – Salmonella Saintpaul – sickened at least 167 people in 17 states. That outbreak was linked to tomatoes.

McNeil said he’s not worried about the crackers in his desk drawer.

“I know these are OK,” he said, grinning. “I’ve eaten the other 11 in the package.”