“When in doubt, throw it out.”

San Diego County public health officer Dr. Wilma Wooten told a CBS affiliate.

Stomach ache, diarrhea, fever, and even death. All are due to a recent salmonella outbreak found in one innocent vegetable: the cucumber.

Cucumbers imported from Mexico could potentially be the cause of a salmonella outbreak that has reached 27 states in a little over a month, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Health Officials reported that this outbreak has killed one 99-year-old San Diego woman, while sickening at least 285 other individuals.

Beginning on July 3, multiple investigations regarding bacterial infections traced the outbreak specifically to cucumbers distributed by Andrew & Williamson Fresh Produce, a San Diego-based company. With this news, consumers disposed of or returned all cucumbers purchased with a label for the week of August 1.

Cucumbers were shipped to 22 states including: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas and Utah, according to a New York Times article. Infections, however, were reported in Missouri, Nebraska, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming, despite the fact that cucumbers from the perceived source location of salmonella were not delivered directly to these states.

Within 12 to 72 hours of eating something that is contaminated with bacteria, one will begin feeling stomach discomfort, excessive need to go to the bathroom, and feel feverish, according to the Director of the Arizona Department of Health Services, Cara Christ. Arizona stands as the hardest hit state thus far with 66 cases reported across six counties in the area, according to the state’s Department of Health Services.

“Anyone with salmonella symptoms such as nausea, diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramping should seek medical attention,” Wooten says.

So, watch out for those cucs, folks!