Could you say whether the damage is skin deep or deeper? When you've taken off the skin you could cautiously taste the 'meat' and smell it. If it tastes fine - and you're going to can the product - then the heat and processing will probably take care of any bug.

I've not heard of any plant disease that acts like salmonella or campylobacter on humans. Nor any in tomatoes that cause a rise in toxicity. Could be worth checking out when you're sure of your ID of the disease.

Also, you may be getting a response to heat, sun, or uneven watering, or even fertiliser, rather than actual bacterial damage. If the taste is unaffected, and you're processing the fruit, then the skin blemishes are unimportant, usually.

Are you growing your cherry tomatoes differently from your main crop at all?

Some of the spotted wilts are spread by thrips which overwinter in nearby weeds. These particular wilts are usually characterized by spots on the leaves as well as the tomatoes. They are especially prevalent where there is a lot of dampness or frequent rains. The wilts seem to show up first in plants that have been stressed, especially by uneven watering; (the drought-and-drown practice will encourage many problems to attack tomatoes). There doesn't seem to be a cure for any of the wilts other than starting with wilt-resistant plants and keeping the area weed-free.

As far as I can find, there is no report of the spots causing humans any problems, but the wilt can kill off the tomato plant. Around here, the usual practice is simply to remove the spots from fruit as part of the cleaning process when preparing them. I've never heard of anyone getting sick from them.

As to whether the tomatoes will continue to produce: as long as the plant survives, and IF it is non-determinate, then the plant will continue to attempt to make fruits until frost kills it. Remember that tomatoes often do not set fruit during periods of excess heat, but they will start setting again once the temperature moderates. The varieties of determinate tomatoes make most of their fruit all at once and then that's pretty much that for the season; indeterminate tomatoes just keep on growing and making fruit until the plant dies. If you know the name of the tomato, you can google for horticultural info which will tell you whether or not it is determinate.

BTW, try the refrig method for sauces: clean, stem and peel the tomatoes; process through a Foley food mill or grinder along with the onions and green peppers, bring the pulp to a boil and then put the pulp in jars and refrigerate overnight. The next morning, carefully pour off the clear yellowish liquid at the top of the jar - that's excess water and would otherwise have to be boiled off. If the remaining pulp is still thinner than you like, use an un-lidded slow cooker to simmer out more of the water. The slow cooker requires little attention or stirring (and I put mine on the porch to help keep the kitchen cool).

Thanks for the responses. Cherry tomato plant has not been treated differently, and it is right nearby the other 3 plants that have the spots. We have had massive amounts of rain at times here in Connecticut followed by dry spells with heat - so perhaps the "freckles" on all the tomatoes are not bacterial in nature - but they do look like the bacterial spot pictures I found while searching. All that said, the leaves of the plant all look real healthy and are spot free, so perhaps I am misdiagnosing this.

I cannot yet say whether it is skin deep or deeper, as I've only had two fruit that have vine-ripened to date, and both times (this is funny) the day I go to pick them is the very same day that I find a few bites out of them. It is as if the rabbits prefer to wait for ripe fruit as well. Since bother were low-hanging I'm not too upset, as I have many fruit that is well off the ground.

Per the advice from each of you, I think that I will clean, stem, and peel and see how the fruit looks inside. I do not plan to can, though. Just make into sauces (pizza, pasta, etc.) and eat this summer.

If there is any other advice based on this additional info - please let me know. And again, many thanks for the responses.

Dave