A bacteria called listeria has been the cause of several recent high-profile food recalls.
Sabra
Dipping Co. recalled 30,000 cases of hummus Wednesday because of the
bacteria, which can cause symptoms such as diarrhea, nausea and cramps.
There have been no reported illnesses related to the contamination,
according to the Food and Drug Administration.
Although most
people with listeriosis get better on their own, listeria can invade the
bloodstream, brain or spinal cord in people whose immune systems are
too weak to fight the bacteria, says Robert Glatter, an emergency
physician at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York. Up to 20% of these
"invasive" cases of listeriosis prove fatal, he says.
About 90% of
people who get serious listeria infections are pregnant women, their
newborns, people older than 64 or people with weakened immune systems,
such as patients with cancer or HIV, according to the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention. Listeria can cause miscarriages and
preterm labor, Glatter says. It also can lead to meningitis, an
inflammation of the membrane around the brain and spinal cord, or
encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain, he says.
Officially, listeria sickens just 1,600 Americans a year, according
to the CDC. It's likely that many more people become ill with diarrhea,
cramps and nausea but never see a doctor, choosing instead to suffer at
home and use over-the-counter medications, Glatter says.
Listeria
is the third-leading cause of death from food poisoning, according to
the CDC. A total of 48 million Americans suffer some kind of food
poisoning each year. About 3,000 die from it.
In some ways, the
hummus recall is a positive development, because the listeria
contamination was detected before anyone became sick, says Bill Marler, a
prominent food-safety attorney based in Seattle. He notes that the
listeria was found by Michigan officials during a routine inspection at a
Kroger supermarket.
"The recall does two things," Marler says.
"It takes product off the market. It also helps companies pay a lot more
attention in these manufacturing facilities. Once that bug gets into a
cold, damp environment, it's really hard to get rid of. Hopefully, this
will prompt more frequent cleaning and environmental testing within
facilities."
Beef recalls were once common due to contamination
with E. coli, Marler says. But those recalls prompted companies to make
important changes. Today, beef recalls are less common.
Some foods
pose a greater risk of listeria than others, according to the CDC.
Foods that carry a higher risk of listeria contamination include raw
sprouts, raw milk, soft cheeses, deli meats, hot dogs and smoked
seafood.
On Tuesday, Blue Bell Creameries expanded a recall of ice
cream produced in an Oklahoma facility as the number of people sickened
with listeria after eating the ice cream grew to eight.
In
January, Bidart Bros. of California recalled Granny Smith and Gala
apples when 35 people were sickened with listeriosis after consuming
prepackaged caramel apples, according to the CDC. Thirty-four people
were hospitalized; seven died.
In one of the biggest listeria
outbreaks, cantaloupes sold by Jensen Farms were linked to 147 cases and
33 deaths in 2011, according to the CDC.
As the ice cream recall
shows, freezing foods doesn't necessarily kill listeria, Glatter says.
The bacteria can survive in refrigerators unless the temperature is
below 39 degrees.
Cr : USA Today
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