GALVESTON — At least 543 prisoners, about half the Galveston County Jail population, have been stricken with an illness, many of them vomiting and experiencing diarrhea, the Sheriff's Office said Thursday. 

Prisoners began complaining of stomach cramps and other symptoms about 5 p.m. Wednesday and county health officials were called to test food for contamination and help identify the cause, the Sheriff's Office said in a statement. 

Food test results are expected Friday. 

At one point Thursday, the stricken prisoners were complaining of nearly identical symptoms. One inmate was taken to an emergency room for treatment late Wednesday but has since been returned to the jail. 

Jail staff suspected that the illness may have been caused by an earlier meal and quarantined numerous food items. 

As of 4 p.m. Thursday more than 400 prisoners were still experiencing symptoms. 

Sheriff's spokesman Maj. Ray Tuttoilmondo declined to say it was food poisoning, but said the illness was likely food related. 

Medical staff at the jail were closely monitoring stricken prisoners.

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