August 2005

More listeria cases found in Capital Region
ALBANY, Aug. 16
By BENITA ZAHN
Two more cases of listeriosis has been confirmed in the Capital Region. The second and third cases were confirmed in Montgomery and Rensselaer counties.
Health officials won’t identify the patients, but say they are recovering.
The first case was confirmed in Schenectady County on July 28.
This followed three cases in Syracuse in early July. One of those patients died.
State health officials say the Syracuse and Schenectady cases have all been linked to the same strain of the bacteria. The first five cases involved women with underlying conditions, making them more susceptible to the bacteria.
The background of the Rensselaer County patient is unknown.Continue Reading More listeria cases found in Capital Region

Investigators look for links in listeria cases found last month
August 14, 2005
By WNYT Staff/Associated Press
A sometimes fatal strain of listeria has turned up in the capital region, and state investigators are looking for links to three cases found last month in the Syracuse area.
Schenectady County health officials confirmed the single case…

Health officials confirm a case has been found in Schenectady County
By RICK KARLIN, Staff writer
First published: Saturday, August 13, 2005
SCHENECTADY — A deadly strain of listeria that killed one and sickened two others in the Syracuse area this summer has turned up in Schenectady County, health officials confirmed Friday.
A laboratory analysis by state scientists matched the strains, and researchers are trying to determine if there is a link.Continue Reading Deadly listeria strain arrives

All Flavors Included
KOIN.com
RICHMOND, Calif. — A Bay Area ice cream company is telling stores to pull a wide range of its ice cream off the shelves because it may be contaminated with bacteria that cause listeria.
Richmond-based Lappert’s Ice Cream is recalling all flavors of its ice cream packaged in 8-ounce, pint, 1.5-gallon…

Listeriosis case linked to kind of bacteria that sickened three in Onondaga County.
The Post-Standard
Friday, August 12, 2005
By James T. Mulder
Staff writer
The same type of bacteria that infected three Onondaga County residents with the food-borne illness listeriosis earlier this summer has struck in Schenectady County.
Lab tests by the state show a listeriosis case recently reported in Schenectady was caused by the same strain of listeria that sickened three Onondaga County residents, one of whom died last month.
A fourth local case of listeriosis recently contracted by prominent Syracusan Armond Magnarelli was caused by a different strain of listeria.
The test results suggest the Schenectady resident and the three Onondaga County residents may have come down with the potentially fatal illness after eating the same contaminated food. The source, however, is a mystery that might never be solved.Continue Reading Same listeria strain in Schenectady

Lappert’s Ice Cream, Inc. of Richmond, CA has expanded its recall of ice cream to include all flavors of its 8 ounce, pint, 1.5 gallon and 3 gallon packages of ice cream because they have the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. This action came after inspectors detected Listeria monocytogenes bacteria on equipment used at the facility.
The 1.5 and 3 gallon containers are packed in round cardboard tubs; the 8 ounce and pint containers are packed in smaller round cardboard containers.
All packaging is labeled Lappert’s Ice Cream (plant number 06-6919). All lots of all flavors produced on or before August 4, 2005 are under recall.
All product with a code of 216 or lower, or no code, on the bottom of the tub is under recall.
Listeria monocytogenes may cause listeriosis among “at risk” people, including pregnant women, newborns, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems. Symptoms include fever, muscle aches, and sometimes nausea or diarrhea. If infection spreads to the nervous system, symptoms such as a headache and stiff neck can occur. Infected pregnant women may experience only a mild, flu-like illness; however, infections during pregnancy could lead to more serious problems for the fetus. If a related illness is suspected, consumers are encouraged to consult a physician immediately.Continue Reading Lappert’s Ice Cream Recall

August, 2005
Journal of Food Protection: Volume 68, Number 8
Page 1641-1646
Hanna Miettinen,a Anne Arvola,a and Gun Wirtanen, a
aVTT Biotechnology, P.O. Box 1500, FIN-02044 VTT, Finland
ABSTRACT
D- and z-values for a mixture of four Listeria monocytogenes strains originating from the roe of different fish species were determined in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)…

August, 2005
Journal of Food Protection: Volume 68, Number 8
Page 1628-1634
Cheng-An Hwang
Microbial Food Safety Research Unit, Eastern Regional Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 600 East Mermaid Lane, Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania 19038, USA
ABSTRACT
This study examined and modeled the behavior of Listeria monocytogenes in ham salad and potato salad…

August 5, 2005
By SAMANTHA CRITCHELL
Raw or undercooked meat, poultry, fish or eggs should be ìoff the menu– for pregnant women, says Heidi Murkoff, author of What to Expect: Eating Well When You–re Expecting (Workman Publishing, $12.95).
Cooking these foods well kills any bacteria or viruses that pose potential hazards, and unpasteurized dairy products and refrigerated smoked seafood carry the risk of listeria and also should be avoided, she says.Continue Reading Belly up to the table