Published Date: 2004-07-23 23:50:00
Subject: PRO/AH> Listeriosis, cluster - USA (VA)(02): background
Archive Number: 20040723.2013
LISTERIOSIS, CLUSTER - USA (VIRGINIA)(02): BACKGROUND
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A ProMED-mail post
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ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>
Date: Fri, 23 Jul 2004
From: Steve Berger <Tel@post.tau.ac.il>
Source: Gideon Online [edited]
<http://www.gideononline.com>
A chronology of food-borne listeriosis outbreaks in the USA
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Dairy products:
1983 - An outbreak in Massachusetts (49 cases, 40 confirmed, 4 fatal, 7
perinatal) - milk was implicated but not proven.
1985 - An outbreak in California (142 cases, 48 fatal, 93 perinatal) was
traced to soft cheese.
1994 - An outbreak in Illinois (45 cases, 11 confirmed) was ascribed to
chocolate milk.
2000 to 2001 - An outbreak in North Carolina (12 cases) was ascribed to
homemade Mexican-style cheese.
Meat and poultry:
1998 to 1999 - An 11-state outbreak (62 cases, 10 fatal) was caused by
contaminated hot dogs and other meat products. A recall of 15 million
pounds of meat was projected as a result.
2000 - A multistate outbreak of infection from deli turkey meat (8
perinatal and 21 non-perinatal cases; 4 fatal) involved New York, Georgia,
Connecticut, Ohio, Michigan, California, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Utah, and
Wisconsin. The outbreak resulted in recall of 16.7 million pounds of
ready-to-eat poultry products from one company.
2001 - 189 000 pounds of luncheon meat sold in 10 states were recalled
because of contamination by Listeria.
2001 - 16 people attending a catered party in Los Angeles, California were
infected by contaminated delicatessen meat.
2002 - A multistate outbreak in Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, New York,
Delaware, Connecticut, Maryland, Michigan and Ohio involved 46 cases (7
fatal, 3 stillbirths and miscarriages) and was ascribed to turkey meat.
2002 - One company recalled 27.4 million pounds of cooked sandwich meat,
and another recalled 4.2 million pounds of ready-to-eat turkey and chicken
because of possible Listeria contamination.
Seafood:
1989 - An outbreak in Connecticut involving 10 cases (1 fatal) was ascribed
to shrimp.
Other and unknown:
1986 to 1987 - An outbreak (36 cases, 16 fatal, 4 perinatal) was reported
in Philadelphia.
1997 - An outbreak was ascribed to contaminated hommus (chickpea paste).
--
Steve Berger
Geographic Medicine
Tel Aviv Medical Center
<Tel@post.tau.ac.il>