Two brands of peanut butter - King Nut and Parnell’s Pride - have voluntarily been recalled by the Ohio-based peanut butter company, King Nut, after it was identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as the source of a salmonella outbreak.

The CDC has been working in conjunction with public health officials in the 42 affected states, finding out the cause of outbreak of a kind of salmonella called Typhimurium.

With the epidemic having affected 399 people thus far, nearly 18 percent of victims landed in the hospital – the age of the patients ranging from 2 months to 98 years. The symptoms of the infection are fever, diarrhea, and abdominal which can last up to a week.

On Friday, the health officials in Minnesota noticed salmonella bacteria in a carton of King nut peanut butter to be distributed in schools and hospitals. After preliminary lab testing confirmed the presence of salmonella in the container, a product warning was issued by the Minnesota Department of Health and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.

In a statement, King Nut has accepted that salmonella was found in the unwrapped 5-pound tub of King Nut peanut butter. According to the company, the peanut butter sold under its tag was produced by Peanut Corporation of America.

Martin Kanan, president of King Nut Companies, said: “We are very sorry this happened. We are taking immediate and voluntary action because the health and safety of those who use our products is always our highest priority.”