Listeria Lawyer & Attorney : Marler Clark Law Firm : Listeria Blog

According to press reports, two Oregon mothers have been sickened by listeria after eating tainted Mexican-style cheese made in Yakima, causing their babies to be born with a serious illness.

Another person got sick as well in Washington state after eating Queso Fresco made by Queseria Bendita in Yakima. The firm's three cheeses, including Requeson and Panela, are being recalled.

State health officials are tracking another woman who could have been sickened by the same cheese. It can take up to 70 days for someone who's eaten a food tainted with listeria to become sick.

People with compromised immune systems are especially susceptible to the organism. It poses a particular risk to pregnant women, who can have miscarriages or seriously sick babies. The infants don’t always make it.

Although queso fresco has been associated with listeria because it's often made with raw milk in poor conditions, this dairy uses pasteurized milk.  Still, inspectors from Washington state found listeria at Queseria Bendita’s small facility in Yakima. Positive samples were also found in unopened packages of its queso fresco.

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The Food and Drug Administration said it found bacteria in a Kellogg Co. (K) Atlanta manufacturing plant and warned the company about sanitation violations.

In a Jan. 27 warning letter, the FDA said it found the presence of the bacterium listeria monocytogenes in at least three places inside the plant, including the wheels of a forklift. The warning letter was posted on the FDA's Web site Tuesday.

The FDA inspected the Atlanta plant last October after a batch of Eggo buttermilk waffles tested positive for listeria monocytogenes, a bacterium that can cause foodborne illness.

"During our inspection, we documented conditions and practices that may lead to contamination of your products with pathogens such as L. monocytogenes," the FDA said.

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Ken Robinson of Newsradio WTAM 1100 reports that the Ohio Department of Agriculture reports that listeria was found in a chicken and dumplings lunch, prepared by Paige Catering on East 55th Street.  The company provides thousands of meals to senior citizen centers in 5 counties. No meals were distributed to centers on Thursday, they hope to resume on Monday.

Listeria kills 500 Americans every year, but so far, no local illnesses, additional testing is being done.  Listeria is commonly found in soil, stream water, sewage, plants, and food. It can spread to the nervous system and cause meningitis.  Vegetables can become contaminated from the soil, and animals can also be carriers. Listeria has been found in uncooked meats, uncooked vegetables, unpasteurized milk, foods made from unpasteurized milk, and processed foods.  The bacteria is killed by pasteurization and cooking, however, in ready-to-eat foods such as hot dogs and deli meats, contamination may occur after cooking and before packaging.  Symptoms include fever, muscle aches, nausea and diarrhea. If infection spreads to the nervous system, ailments such as headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, or convulsions can occur.

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Estrella Family Creamery is recalling its Red Darla cheese because it might be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children and others with weakened immune systems. The Montesano, Washington-based company said no illnesses have been reported to date. The recalled Red Darla cheese was sold January through Feb. 11 this year in Washington state, California and New Jersey.

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From a Company Press Release.

The independent and unrelated manufacturer of Giant Eagle and Food Club frozen loose hash browns has been informed of the presence of a bacterium in products made in the same facility as these items.

Upon receiving this information, Giant Eagle immediately performed a voluntary market recall of all potentially affected products and engaged an independent laboratory to test samples of these products. Giant Eagle has confirmed that some of these products have tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes, a bacterium that can cause listeriosis which is a potentially serious infection.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (www.cdc.gov), the risk of an individual developing a listeria infection after consumption of a contaminated product is very small. Listeriosis affects primarily persons of advanced age, pregnant women, newborns and adults with weakened immune systems.

The products affected are: Giant Eagle Country Style Hash Browns (UPC 300341086), Giant Eagle Western Style Hash Browns (UPC 3003401076), Giant Eagle Southern Hash Browns (UPC 3003401075), Giant Eagle Diced Hash Browns (UPC 300341087), Giant Eagle Shredded Hash Browns (UPC 300341088), and Food Club Shredded Hash Browns (UPC 3680006530).

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The Minnesota Department of Agriculture has issued a consumer advisory for certain peanut butter, cheese, salsa, cream cheese bagel spreads, dips and spreads made by Coon Rapids-based Parkers Farm.

The department says sampling found some of the products were contaminated with the bacteria that can cause listeriosis, a potentially serious disease.

No illnesses have been reported. Consumers should discard any of the recalled products.

The department says Parkers Farm is cooperating in the investigation.

The products are distributed nationwide in retail stores under the Parkers Farm or Parkers labels. The products may have been sold at Hy-Vee, Cub, Rainbow, Lunds/Byerly's, Target, Whole Foods, Jewel, Dominicks or Marsh stores.

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Clinical Microbiology and Infection Jan. 2010 V.16 N.1 p.16-23

F. Allerberger and M. Wagner, Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES), Binational Austrian–German Listeria Reference Centre, Vienna and Institute for Milk Hygiene, Milk Technology and Food Science, Department for Farm Animals and Public Veterinary Health, Vienna, Austria.

Listeria monocytogenes is the causative agent of human listeriosis, a potentially fatal foodborne infection. Clinical manifestations range from febrile gastroenteritis to more severe invasive forms, including sepsis, meningitis, rhombencephalitis, perinatal infections, and abortions. In recent years, an increasing rate of listeriosis has been reported in several European countries. These increases primarily reflect a higher rate of bacteraemic listeriosis in those ≥65 years of age, and are not otherwise correlated with geography, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic factors or infectious serotypes. In the late 1980s, an upsurge in listeriosis rates was due to the contamination of a small number of food products. However, a restricted range of strains was responsible for most of the additional cases at that time, and no evidence exists for such a pattern since 2001. From a clinical perspective, the importance of isolating the pathogen as a prerequisite for an accurate epidemiological investigation and ultimately stopping transmission cannot be overemphasized.

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Associated Grocers of Maine, importing firm, a Gardiner, Maine, establishment, is recalling approximately 312 pounds of ham products that may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.
The following products are subject to recall:

6-ounce packages of “SUPER TRIM, Shurfine, IMPORTED, COOKED HAM, WATER ADDED, 98% FAT FREE.”

Each package bears the establishment number “141” inside the Canadian seal of inspection and a Sell by date of “10JA24.” The ham products were produced on November 25, 2009, and distributed to retail establishments in Maine and New Hampshire.

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Breese Hollow Dairy in Hoosick Falls has suspended raw milk sales after a sample tested positive for listeria yesterday.

The dairy says that a sample was taken Dec. 14 by the state Department of Agriculture and Markets and tested positive for listeria by the department’s food lab.

Listeria can cause listeriosis, a disease that can cause flu-like symptoms and more serious conditions in sick people.

No illnesses have been reported by the department from raw milk from the farm.

The dairy will not resume sales of raw milk until Ag and Markets re-samples the milk and determines that it is free of pathogens.

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