Listeria Infections, Including One Fatality, Linked To Deli Meats, Cheeses

Eight people in four states, including New York and New Jersey, have been hospitalized with listeria infections linked to deli meats and cheeses, including one person who died, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

Epidemiologic and laboratory evidence indicates that meats and cheeses sliced at deli counters might be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes and could make people sick, the CDC said.
Photo Credit: *CDC*

Joe Lombardi

04/18/2019 5:00 p.m.

The death occurred in Michigan, the CDC said. Pennsylvania is the fourth state where cases have been reported.

Epidemiologic and laboratory evidence indicates that meats and cheeses sliced at deli counters might be contaminated with Listeria and could make people sick, the CDC said.

A single, common supplier of deli products has not been identified.

Those who became ill said in interviews they ate different types and brands of products, including meats and cheese bought from and sliced at various deli counters, according to the CDC.

The listeria specimens from those people were collected from November 13, 2016 to March 4 of this year.

Ill people range in age from 40 to 88 years, with a median age of 57. Thirty-eight percent are female.

The majority of people who become infected by the foodborne disease caused by the bacterium listeria monocytogenes might barely notice the illness, but it is responsible for around 1,600 illnesses and 260 deaths in the United States annually.

For more information, check the CDC advisory here.

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