Federal officials investigating a widespread salmonella outbreak have found the smoking pepper.

A jalapeno pepper contaminated with the same strain of salmonella that has caused the outbreak was found in a food distribution warehouse in McAllen, Texas, said David Acheson, the associate commissioner for foods for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

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That discovery led federal officials on Monday to widen their warning against eating raw jalapeno and serrano peppers. Uncooked jalapenos are commonly used in foods such as guacamole and fresh salsa. However, those foods may also be prepared with cooked or pickled jalapenos, which are safe to eat because heating kills salmonella bacteria.

Federal officials are advising all Americans now to avoid uncooked jalapenos, and asking restaurants and supermarkets not to stock them. An earlier warning against eating jalapeno and serrano peppers was aimed just at those at higher risk of food-borne illness — elderly people, infants and those with weakened immune systems — to avoid jalapeno and serrano peppers.

The pepper was found in the Agricola Zaragosa distribution center in McAllen, a common border crossing for Mexican produce. The pepper was grown in Mexico, Acheson said, but investigators still are unsure where the pepper was contaminated.

Finding the pepper is an important clue that will help investigators narrow their search, he said.

"While this pepper may have originated from Mexico, I want to emphasize this does not mean the contamination happened in Mexico," Acheson said.

The long-running outbreak has sickened 1,251 people, and caused at least 229 hospitalizations, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It has been linked to two deaths.

The outbreak was initially linked to tomatoes, and they have not been exonerated in the outbreak, said Robert Tauxe, of the CDC.

But tomatoes currently on the market are safe to eat. The FDA and CDC lifted advice against eating round, red tomatoes or plum tomatoes last week.

More recent cases of illness appear to be more strongly linked to spicy peppers, Tauxe said.

Jalapenos and other peppers from Agricola Zaragosa have been recalled.