CAMILLUS (AP) -- More than 100 people reported getting sick after eating at an Applebee's restaurant outside Syracuse, health officials said Wednesday.

Onondaga County Health Commissioner Dr. Cynthia Morrow said her department has confirmed seven cases of Shigellosis among people who ate at the Applebee's in Camillus in early March. The bacterial infection is associated with consuming water or food contaminated with fecal matter.

Of the more than 100 reports received, 52 fit the criteria for Shigellosis and those people have been advised to get tested, Morrow said. It will take several days before the results are available.

The infection can cause painful or bloody diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps beginning a day or two after exposure, Morrow said. Typically, the illness abates in five to seven days. Medical treatment is sometimes necessary, she said.

Diners with confirmed infections ate at the restaurant March 7 and 8. But health officials said they are looking at a window from March 1 to March 20, which means up to 9,000 people could have been exposed to the bacteria.

Investigators haven't identified the source of the bacteria, but are focusing their investigation on lemons and limes.

The restaurant is cooperating with the health department investigation and remains open.

A man who said he was the manager at the Camillus restaurant declined to comment and referred questions to county health officials.

Lenexa, Kan.-based Applebee's operates nearly 2,000 restaurants in the U.S. and 17 other countries.

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