Sixteen people in five states have been sickened with salmonella infections, including several who ate raw ground beef, government health officials said. 

No one has died, but half of the people have been hospitalized. Nine of the victims are in Michigan, but three were reported in Wisconsin, two in Illinois and one each in Arizona and Iowa, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. 

The illnesses were caused by the same rare strain of salmonella Typhimurium, CDC officials said. This strain has a genetic fingerprint rarely seen previously. 

Tracking by state and federal officials indicated that the ground beef was produced by Jouni Meats, Inc., of Sterling Heights, Mich., and Gab Halal Food of Troy, Mich., which together recalled more than 1,000 pounds of ground beef last week. 

Seven of the victims indicated they had eaten a raw ground beef dish called kibbeh at the same restaurant, which had acquired beef from the two retailers. Kibbeh is a dish typically made of finely ground meat, minced onions and bulgur wheat.

CDC officials say people should not eat raw or undercooked ground beef. Anyone who has products made by the companies should discard them or return them to the place of purchase. 

Salmonella infections can be serious for children under age 5, older adults and those with weakened immune systems. 

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