CAUSE Listeria monocytogenes. Bacteria widespread in nature that cn live in soil as well as intestinal tracts of humans and animals.
EXAMPLES OF FOODS INVOLVED Raw milk, unripened and other soft cheese, undercooked met and poultry.
TRANSMISSION Eating food contaminated with the bacteria.
SYMPTOMS Headache, fever, and nausea. Can lead to meningitis. Can result in miscarriage or stillbirth. Pregnant women, infants, and persons with low resistance to infections (such as cancer patients) are most susceptible. Can result in death unless there is antibiotic therapy.
ONSET Usually within 24 hours b ut can occur up to 12 days after ingestion.
DURATION 2-7 days.
PREVENTION Cook foods of animal origin thoroughly. Buy pasteurized milk. Prevent recontamination of cooked foods by cleaning hands, surfaces, and equipment that come into contact with raw animal foods. Do not use animal manure or sewage sludge in your vegetable garden.
A report released December 23, 1998 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) implicated products manufactured by Bil Mar Foods, a division of Sara Lee Corp., in an outbreak that began early last August. The report included a list of nearly 10 lines of products. The affected products were produced at the company's plant in Zeeland, Michigan, and bear the Establishment Numbers EST P261 (for poultry) or EST 6911 (for non-poiittry). As part of their voluntary recall efforts, Bil Mar Foods set up a toll-free nwnber -- 1-800-247-8339.
Between August 2, 1998 and December 2nd, 1998 40 cases attributed to Listeria monocytogenes, including four deaths, were reported to the (,'DC by 10 states -- Ohio, New York, Tennessee, Massachusetts, West Virginia, Michigan, Connecticut, Oregon, Vermont, and Georgia. All isolates from the patients were the same rare type of Listeria, namely serotype 4, and all shared an "unusual pattern" when subtyped either by pulsed-field gel electroplioresis or by ribotyping.
Sara Lee Corp. spokesperson Theresa Herlevseti was cited as declining to say how many packages were involved in the recall, which will cost the company an estimated pretax charge of $50 million to $70 million. However, there is still no data showing a conclusive link between the plant and the outbreak, there is only CDC's admonition of a "very strong connection."
FIGHTING LISTERIA AT THE PLANT, AN NMA ADVISORY
Responding quickly to Listeria concerns, NMA faxed a detailed advisory to its members last week. Microbiologists at Deibel Laboratories provided valuable input and assistance. Highlights are below: Manufacturers of packaged fully cooked products should develop and maintain Clean Room Standard Operating Procedures (SOPS) to eliminate cross contamination. The Clean Room SOPs should include positive air movement in exposed clean, rooms, restricted access to specific lines, sanitizing dips for hands and foot wear, and the donning of'sanitized clothing. In addition, equipment cleaning and sanitizing procedures should comprehensively address both product and non-product surfaces. A good preventive program incorporates microbial monitoring of the environment at an initial frequency of at least 20 samples per week. Microbial swabs should specifically target equipment contact surfaces using a sponge technique swabbing an area as large as possible for each sample. Consistently achieving negative test results may support reducing the sampling frequency to about 1 0 samples per week. Should envirom-nental samples indicate a presumptive for Listeria species, begin a decontamination program that incorporates Ceiling-to-Floor strip cleaning and sanitizing immediately. Dismantle equipment to expose unsealed areas and remove insulation from pipes and conduits including plastic electrical ties and duct tape. Thoroughly wash and clean all equipment and environmental surfaces. Apply a peroxide solution to all surfaces. This application should then be followed by a fogging of the room with a 1000 PPM quaternary ammonia compound to insure that all crevices and micro cracks are coated with the fme droplets. After 30 minutes, rinse the equipment contact surfaces, only, in preparation for use. It is important that the environment remain treated with the quaternary compound to prevent bacteria growth. Fogging should be repeated until environmental micro samples indicate that equipment surfaces are no longer contaminated with Listeria. For more information send a self- addressed/stamped (320) envelope to Ira Perez at NMA-West or check www. nmaonline. org.
SARA LEE REOPENS BIL MAR
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control was cited March 2, 1999 as saying that the death toll fi-om Listeria in hot dogs and lunch meat has risen to 20, with nearly 100 others sickened. The Sara Lee Corp. subsidiary linked to the deadly bacteria outbreak resumed deli-meat processing last week. Sara Lee spokesman Jeffrey Smith said the company has implemented new steps to ensure that its Premium Turkey Breast produced at the Bil Mar Foods division is safe. "We believe we are taking unprecedented steps, including an intensified program checking contact surfaces for pathogens, as well as enhanced training," Smith said. If the turkey breast passes federal inspection-, it could be back at deli counters by the middle of March. Processing at the plant began Monday, and Smith said the plant hopes to add ham and roast beef products next week. The restart does not apply to sliced luncheon meat or hot dogs. Those products will be made at other plants while Sara Lee reconfigures production lines.
