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A new salmonella scare spreading across the country has hit the Central Texas area.

So far, there have been 388 cases reported in 42 states. Five of those cases were in Texas, including one involving a young girl that was reported in Tarrant County. The other cases reported in Texas include three in Travis, Harris and Willacy counties and one other case in an undisclosed area.

The Tarrant County girl wasn't ever hospitalized and fully recovered.

Meanwhile, health officials are still clueless as to what type of food or foods could be causing the outbreak.

However, health officials in California, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota and Ohio have confirmed cases. Ohio and California reported the most, with 51 cases each.

Nationally, all the illnesses began between Sept. 3 and Dec. 29, but most of the people grew sick after Oct. 1.

The epidemiology lab at the Tarrant County Health Department said they are looking for a common strain of salmonella called typhimurium. But what worries the Center for Disease Control is that typhimurium has made people in Texas and hundreds of others across the country sick.

"The case actually diagnosed last year, in November of last year. And we got the report of it three days ago."

The CDC is now trying to find out if the cases may be linked by any foods that have been distributed across the country

"It's too early to say, but that's the direction it's going to," said Dr. Anita Kurin, Tarrant County chief epidemiologist. "They're tracking to track down the contaminated food source."

Wayne Murphy, who owns the Ridgmar Farmer's Market in Fort Worth, said he remembers the confusion created while trying to locate the source of last year's salmonella outbreak.

"We just learn to live with it," he said. "It's part of the business."

It cost the food industry more than $100 million.

"The CDC shouldn't worry people until they actually know what the problem is," Murphy said.

The CDC hasn't issued any food warning, yet. But typhimurium is commonly found in eggs, cheese, poultry and unpasteurized milk.

A Connecticut congresswoman on Thursday said she was frustrated that health officials don't yet know how the bacteria has been spreading.

Not knowing what food is responsible means the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or the U.S. Department of Agriculture cannot help track the original source, said U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, a Democrat who chairs the Agriculture-FDA appropriations subcommittee .

"Any delays in these critical investigations can sicken more people," DeLauro said in a statement.

But foodborne illness investigations can be very complicated, and it can take weeks or months for health officials to interview patients, find common links in what they ate, test suspected foods and come up with a clear-cut cause, said Michael Doyle, director of the University of Georgia's Center for Food Safety.

"There's a lot more to this than meets the eye," he said.

As for past cases, the FDA recalled baby spinach in 2006. In 2007, peanut butter was also recalled after salmonella was found in Peter Pan and Great Value brands. And in 2008, peppers were at the center of food recalls. In that case, an investigation is still officially open.

Salmonella can often seem like a typical stomach bug. It begins with nausea and vomiting and then you can have abdominal pains and diarrhea. Other symptoms include fever, chills and muscle pain.

Officials say steps to protect against the illness include careful handling and preparation of raw meat, and frequent hand washing.

There are about 2,000 types of salmonella and about 40,000 cases are reported each year.

Of lab-confirmed cases, salmonella Typhimurium is the most common. The bacteria type is a year-round threat because it's found in meat and eggs, and not as subject to seasonal food supply variations as produce.

The current outbreak's bacteria are different from the salmonella Saintpaul bug that caused more than 1,400 illnesses last spring and summer. That was traced to vegetables from Mexico - jalapeno and serrano peppers and possibly certain types of tomatoes.