WASHINGTON (Reuters) – An outbreak of an unusualstrain of Salmonella that put 286 people into the hospital appearsto be over in the United States, federal health officials said onThursday.

They said jalapeno and serrano peppers from Mexico were the mainsource and said the outbreak shows there is more need formonitoring fresh fruits and vegetables.

“It appears that this outbreak is over,” Dr. Robert Tauxe of theU.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told reporters on atelephone briefing.

“Preliminary epidemiologic and microbiologic results to datesupport the conclusion that jalapeno peppers were a major vehicleby which the pathogen was transmitted, and serrano peppers alsowere a vehicle. Tomatoes possibly were a vehicle, particularlyearly in the outbreak,” the CDC said in its weekly report on deathand disease.