A strain of a deadly bacteria traced to a Zeeland, Mich., meat plant is now blamed with causing 11 deaths and three miscarriages in 13 states.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said its tests trace the contamination back to listeria bacteria found in hot dogs and deli meats made at Sara Lee Corp.'s Bil Mar Foods division.
The fatalities have been reported Arizona, Connecticut, Georgia, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Tennessee, Vermont and West Virginia. An exact breakdown of the deaths was not available.
About 1800 cases of food poisoning caused by listeria are reported annually in the United States. Healthy people usually can fight off the bacterium with no more than flu-like symptoms. But listeria can kill, causing meningitis or blood infection.
The nation's largest listeria outbreak occurred in California in 1985, according to the CDC. Forty-eight people died and 66 miscarriages were reported from contaminated Mexican-style cheese.
Meat Industry Insights News Service
P.O. Box 553
Northport, NY 11768
Phone: 631-757-4010
Fax: 631-757-4060
E-mail: sflanagan@sprintmail.com
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