Listeria Outbreak Linked to Soft Raw Milk Cheese
Six people have been infected — all 6 hospitalized, 2 of the 6 died — with the outbreak of Listeria that began last September and has been traced to soft raw milk cheese made by Vulto Creamery of Walton, New York.
Listeria can be present in raw milk and foods made from raw milk. Vegetables can be contaminated by soil and water carrying Listeria.
It can also live in food processing plants and contaminate a variety of processed meats. Unlike many other germs, Listeria can grow even in the cold temperature of the refrigerator and can only be killed by cooking and pasteurization.
Listeria symptoms appear between 3 and 70 days after infection, but usually around 21 days later. Typical symptoms include fever, muscle aches, and less commonly nausea or diarrhea. Once the infection spreads to the central nervous system, symptoms can include headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, convulsions.
An estimated 1,600 people get listeriosis each year, and about 260 die. Ingested by mouth, Listeria is among the most virulent food-borne pathogens, with up to 20% of clinical infections resulting in death. These bacteria primarily cause severe illness and death in persons with immature or compromised immune systems. Pregnant women are approximately 20 times more likely than other healthy adults to get listeriosis.
In this multi-state outbreak that started September 2016, half of the patients are from New York, while Connecticut, Florida, and Vermont have each reported one case. The patients in Connecticut and Vermont died. One of the patients is a newborn, while the oldest is 89 years old. The median age is 55, and five of the patients are female.
In its investigation of the death of the person from Connecticut, the Connecticut Department of Public Health collected leftover cheeses from the patient’s home. The agency identified the outbreak strain of Listeria in leftover cheese that the family identified as Ouleout cheese from Vulto Creamery. The New York Division of Milk Control and Dairy Services collected 3 intact wheels of Vulto Creamery Ouleout cheese during a joint inspection with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and confirmed the outbreak strain of Listeria on the samples.
On March 7, 2017, Vulto Creamery recalled all lots of Ouleout, Miranda, Heinennellie, and Willowemoc soft wash-rind raw milk cheeses. Raw milk cheese is made with milk that is not pasteurized.
The FDA and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend consumers not to eat any of the recalled products and to check their homes for them. Retailers and restaurateurs should not sell or serve them. The CDC said the outbreak investigation is ongoing and it will provide updates as new information becomes available.
