Food Poisoning Law Blog : Food Poisoning Lawyer & Attorney : PritzkerLaw : Food Safety, Outbreaks & Recalls

Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri and other states are still finding deaths and illnesses stemming from the cantaloupe Listeria outbreak that has now killed 25 people, caused at least one miscarriage and has hospitalized more than 100 others.

There are 26 states now involved in the outbreak linked to whole cantaloupes from Jensen Farms of Granada, Colorado. Pennsylvania is the latest addition. There have been two deaths in New York, 6 in Colorado and five in New Mexico. Jensen recalled millions of cantaloupes September 14th and the melons clearly are out of distribution by now, but Listeria symptoms sometimes don't show up until two months after a person has eaten contaminated food.

Meanwhile, there's also the time it takes for public health officials to be notified of such illnesses or deaths and additional time for them to collect samples required for testing to confirm matches to the four Listeria strains related to this outbreak. "State and local health departments in these and other states are investigating other listeriosis illnesses to determine if they are part of this outbreak,'' the CDC said in its latest statement, published October 18.

• Among persons who died, ages range from 48 to 96 years, with a median age of 87 years. Most ill persons are over 60 years old and 98 percent were hospitalized.
• Four of the illnesses were related to a pregnancy; one was diagnosed in a newborn and three were diagnosed in pregnant women.  One miscarriage has been reported. Other outcomes are being monitored.
• About 800 laboratory-confirmed cases of Listeria infection are reported each year in the United States and typically 3 or 4 outbreaks are identified. The foods that typically cause these outbreaks have been deli meats, hot dogs, and Mexican-style soft cheeses made with unpasteurized milk.  Produce is not often identified as a source, but sprouts caused an outbreak in 2009, and celery caused an outbreak in 2010.

From the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), here's the state-by-state breakdowns of illnesses and deaths stemming from the Jensen Farms Listeria cantaloupe outbreak that started on July 31.

Infected Persons: Alabama (1), Arkansas (1), California (2), Colorado (36), Idaho (1), Illinois (2), Indiana (3), Iowa (1), Kansas (7), Louisiana (2), Maryland (1), Missouri (4), Montana (1), Nebraska (6), New Mexico (13), New York (2), North Dakota (1), Oklahoma (11), Oregon (1), Pennsylvania (1), South Dakota (1), Texas (18), Virginia (1), West Virginia (1), Wisconsin (2), and Wyoming (3). 

Cantaloupe Listeria Deaths: 6 in Colorado, 1 in Indiana, 2 in Kansas, 2 in Louisiana, 1 in Maryland, 1 in Missouri, 1 in Nebraska, 5 in New Mexico, 2 in New York, 1 in Oklahoma, 2 in Texas, and 1 in Wyoming..

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CDC's latest guide to the Colorado Cantaloupe Listeria outbreak confirms that 23 people have died, another life has been lost to miscarriage and 116 persons all together have been infected by strains of Listeria linked to Jensen Farms cantaloupes.

The numbers are expected to grow through the end of October because listeriosis can develop two months after a person eats contaminated food. Jensen Farms of Granada, Colorado, was actively selling its melons until shortly before its recall was announced September 14. 

Cantaloupe lawsuit information from national Listeria law firm PritzkerOlsen, P.A., is available in free case consultations at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or leave your contact information and a lawyer will call you. Our firm currently represents the families of two people who have died of Listeria poisoning in this outbreak. In a previous foodborne outbreak of listeriosis, our lawyers gained a pair of multi-million dollar settlements and took a leadership role in the associated litigation involving others. 

On October 12, 2011, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notified the public of more deaths and illnesses from the Jensen cantaloupe outbreak.

• Four outbreak strains of Listeria monocytogenes have been reported from 25 states. 
• Colorado has 5 deaths and 34 illnesses.
• New Mexico has 5 deaths and 13 illnesses.
• Texas has 2 deaths and 17 illnesses.
• Kansas has 2 deaths and 7 illnesses.
• Louisiana has 2 deaths, both newly confirmed.

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Texas, Colorado, New Mexico and Oklahoma are the worst-hit states in the Jensen Farms cantaloupe Listeria outbreak. Combined, those states have 68 percent of the illnesses and 72 percent of the Listeria deaths in an outbreak that remains active.

In Texas, for example, public health officials in El Paso this week identified a  77-year-old woman as a new victim. She was hospitalized, but is recovering at home. It is the second elderly Listeria case patient linked to the cantaloupe outbreak from El Paso.

Lawsuits against Jensen Farms of Granada, Colorado, seek monetary recoveries for harms related to all deaths and illnesses in this outbreak. Legally speaking, these cases are complex and victims should retain a Listeria lawyer who can win an optimum claim against the parties responsible for poisoning so many people via whole cantaloupes.

Our food safety attorneys have collected millions on behalf of listeriosis victims, including $3.5 million for a couple who lost unborn twins and $2.7 million for the family of an 81-year-old man who died. There have only been a handful of major listeriosis outbreaks in the United States. The last one was in 2002, and our attorneys served as lead counsel on behalf of a number of outbreak victims and their families.

In this current outbreak, national food safety law firm PritzkerOlsen, P.A., is continuing to be reached by victims and will accept new cases at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or send your contact information online and an attorney will call you.

October 2011 Update on Jensen Cantaloupe Listeria Litigation: 

Foods can become infected with listeria through several means including contaminated water, manure or contaminated biosolids used for fertilizer or through the many different stages that the food is handled or washed. Though officials have traced the infected cantaloupes to Rocky Ford-brand cantaloupes from Jensen Farms in Colorado, the exact cause remains under investigation. Still, scientists from the FDA and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are confident in link to the millions of cantaloupes harvested in August and early September from Jensen Farms.

The company announced its recall September 14. Since then the CDC has published 6 updates with the latest information showing 18 deaths and 100 illnesses in 20 states. Colorado has 30 illnesses and five deaths. Texas has 14 illnesses and two deaths. Oklahoma has 11 illnesses and one death. New Mexico has 13 illnesses and five deaths. 

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National food safety lawyer Fred Pritzker draws from years of experience in this thoughtful conversation about Listeria litigation in the Jensen Farms cantaloupe outbreak that has killed at least 15 people and sickened 84 in 19 states. Reporter Andrew Mach does an excellent job. Here are excerpts from his story in the Christian Science Monitor. 

It wasn’t long after officials linked a listeria outbreak with cantaloupe from a Colorado farm that wrongful-death and personal-injury lawsuits began to be filed.

The outbreak, which is the deadliest food crisis in more than a decade, has killed at least 15 people and sickened 84 others in 19 states. Earlier this month, after the listeria link was made, Jensen Farms in Holly, Colo., issued a voluntary recall of its Rocky Ford brand of cantaloupes.

Now, victims and families of victims in Colorado, Oklahoma, and Texas have filed at least five lawsuits against Jensen Farms. One lawsuit is also against Wal-Mart for allegedly being among the grocery stores selling the cantaloupe in question.

However, it’s hardly a given that the plaintiffs – who have already incurred considerable expenses because of their ordeal – will receive the compensation that lawyers tell them they deserve. This could be especially true because Jensen Farms is a local grower, a third-generation family farm, with limited capital.

Jensen Farms is not a major corporation that has significant financial assets,” says Fred Pritzker, a Minneapolis-based attorney specializing in food-poisoning cases who is representing two victims in Illinois and New York. “When you factor in the severity of the illness and the number of deaths and illnesses that will be attributed to this in the days and weeks to come, you just know they don’t have nearly enough assets to fully compensate them.”

Especially in cases involving small businesses, it’s common for plaintiffs to pursue all available avenues. “If other parties involved bear some of the responsibility, we look to them to supplement the pool of money that is available to the victims,” Pritzker says. 

It’s not fair that the rest of the industry ends up paying,” he says, “but it’s a lot less fair for somebody who’s injured by that industry.”

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Today's CDC Highlights

• As of 5pm EDT on September 20, 2011, a total of 55 persons infected with the 4 outbreak-associated strains of Listeria monocytogenes have been reported from 14 states.  All illnesses started on or after August 4, 2011. The number of infected persons identified in each state is as follows:  California (1), Colorado (14), Illinois (1), Indiana (1), Maryland (1), Montana (1), Nebraska (4), New Mexico (10), Oklahoma (8), Texas (9), Virginia (1), West Virginia (1), Wisconsin (2), and Wyoming (1). 
• Collaborative investigations by local, state, and federal public health and regulatory agencies indicate the source of the outbreak is whole cantaloupe grown at Jensen Farms’ production fields in Granada, Colorado.
• On September 14, 2011, FDA announce that Jensen Farms issued a voluntary recall of its Rocky Ford-brand cantaloupes after being linked to a multistate outbreak of listeriosis.
• CDC recommends that persons at high risk for listeriosis, including older adults, persons with weakened immune systems, and pregnant women, do not eat Rocky Ford cantaloupes from Jensen Farms. Other consumers who want to reduce their risk of Listeria infection should not eat Rocky Ford cantaloupes from Jensen Farms.
• Even if some of the cantaloupe has been eaten without becoming ill, dispose of the rest of the cantaloupe immediately. Listeria bacteria can grow in the cantaloupe at room and refrigerator temperatures.

The number of outbreak cases is still low. Our law firm is representing clients in personal injury and wrongful death cases that have a likely association with this outbreak.

More Information from the CDC

Among persons for whom information is available, illnesses began on or after August 4, 2011. Ages range from 35 to 96 years, with a median age of 78 years old.  Most ill persons are over 60 years old or have health conditions that weaken the immune system. Fifty-nine percent of ill persons are female. Among the 43 ill persons with available information on whether they were hospitalized, all were hospitalized.  Eight deaths have been reported, 2 in Colorado, 1 in Maryland, 4 in New Mexico, and 1 in Oklahoma.

Investigations by health officials indicate the source of the outbreak is whole cantaloupe grown at Jensen Farms’ production fields in Granada, Colorado. Among the 36 ill persons with available information on what they ate, 34 (94%) reported consuming cantaloupes in the month before illness onset. Several ill persons remembered the type of cantaloupe they had eaten and said they were Rocky Ford cantaloupes, which are grown in the Rocky Ford region of southeastern Colorado. Source tracing of the cantaloupes that ill persons ate indicated that they came from Jensen Farms, and were marketed as being from the Rocky Ford region. These cantaloupes were shipped from July 29 through Sept 10 to at least 17 states with possible further distribution.

Laboratory testing by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment identified Listeria monocytogenes bacteria on cantaloupes collected from grocery stores and from an ill person’s home. Product traceback information from Colorado state officials indicated these cantaloupes also came from Jensen Farms. Laboratory testing by FDA has identified L. monocytogenes matching outbreak strains in samples from equipment and cantaloupe at the Jensen Farms’ packing facility in Granada, Colorado.

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Texas Listeria cases average about 44 per year. There have been 20 reported cases in the Lone Star state so far in 2011 and at least two of them are linked by scientific evidence to Colorado cantaloupe from Jensen Farms -- distributed by Frontera Produce.

Listeria outbreak attorney Fred Pritzker is in contact with victims of the multi-state cantaloupe Listeria outbreak and is preparing for a cantaloupe lawsuit. His firm is one of the very few in the country practicing extensively in foodborne illness litigation and his record includes a $6 million Listeria lawsuit settlement in a difficult wrongful death situation with multiple victims.

Texas is one of seven states currently identified by CDC as part of the Colorado cantaloupe outbreak that has killed at least two people and sickened at least 22. The other states are Nebraska, Oklahoma, Indiana, New Mexico and West Virginia. News reports also cite a Wyoming Listeria case that could be part of the outbreak.

The Texas Department of State Health Services says that both Texas cases – one in North Texas and one in Southeast Texas – were hospitalized. Texas authorities are collaborating with the CDC, FDA and health officials in other states to investigate.

Jensen Farms cantaloupes were recalled this week, but Pritzker is warning families to be aware of a delay in symptoms. With the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes, an infection may not produce symptoms for many days. Symptoms of  fever and muscle aches often are preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms.

Pregnant women:  Pregnant women typically experience only a mild, flu-like illness. However, infections during pregnancy can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery, or life-threatening infection of the newborn. 

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Our attorneys are investigating a Listeria outbreak in several states linked to Rocky Ford cantaloupe grown in Colorado. Contact our law firm for a free consultation.

A national cantaloupe recall has not been ordered by government officials or undertaken by producers, but grocery stores in Colorado are voluntarily pulling Rocky Ford melons from their shelves in response to a listeriosis outbreak associated with the fruit, according to a story in the Denver Post.

King Soopers, Safeway and Whole Foods are removing the melons from their stores. King Soopers and City Market stores are removing Rocky Ford melons from 142 stores, and Safeway is removing the melons from its 138 stores in Colorado, Nebraska, Wyoming, South Dakota and New Mexico, according to the story. Wholes Foods is removing the cantaloupes from its shelves.

The cantaloupe recall informally undertaken by the grocery stores is in response to a listeriosis outbreak associated with eating cantaloupes from the Rocky Ford growing region in Colorado.

Albuquerque, where three people died, has issued its own recall: (Updated September 14, 2011.)

Based on a Department of Health advisory, the City of Albuquerque, Environmental Health Department, Consumer Health Protection Division is issuing a voluntary recall notice to local produce retailers, requesting that cantaloupe grownin the Rocky Ford growing area of southern Colorado be temporarily pulled from store shelves.  This action is being taken as a precaution pending findings of an FDA investigation into several cases of illness and at least 3 deaths.  Preliminary indications suggest that several cases of food-borne Listeriosishave been linked to consumption of cantaloupe.

Citizens are advised to refrain from purchasing or handling cantaloupe grown in the Rocky Ford growing area.  If cantaloupe has already been purchased, citizens should not eat the product; thorough hand-washing and sanitation of food preparation areas is advised if the product has already been handled.

Listeriosis is a bacterial infection associated with certain food products.  Symptoms can range from mild gastro-intestinal  upset to severe symptoms including meningitis and death.  Onset is typically within 48 hours for gastro-intestinal symptoms; meningitis could take up 2-6 weeks to develop.

If you contracted listeriosis associated with this outbreak and need legal advice, contact the Listeria experts at PritzkerOlsen, P.A  toll free at 1(888)377-8900.

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A type of cantaloupe called Rocky Ford cantaloupes of Colorado are the likely source of a multi-state outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed. There has been one confirmed death and 15 confirmed Listeria illnesses in Colorado (11), Texas (2), Nebraska (1) and Oklahoma (1).

In its first report on the cantaloupe Listeria outbreak, the CDC said other states could also be involved and tests are pending.  New Mexico, for instance, has reported three Listeria deaths in people who recently ate fresh cantaloupe. Six other New Mexico cantaloupe Listeria cases are suspected.

Cantaloupes that belonged to a Listeria case patient in Colorado and others gathered from grocery stores have tested positive for the bacteria and a traceback investigation shows they were harvested in the Rocky Ford region, the CDC reported. Investigators still are trying to pinpoint the cause. Grown in southeast Colorado, the fruit was harvested in August and September and widely distributed in the United States and could be available at various grocery stores nationwide.

"Preliminary results strongly suggest that illnesses are linked to consumption of cantaloupes,'' the CDC said. But no recall has been announced.

CDC now advises persons throughout the mainland United States and at high risk for listeriosis, including older adults, persons with weakened immune systems, and pregnant women, to not eat cantaloupes marketed as coming from the Rocky Ford region of Colorado.

• All illnesses started on or after August 15, 2011.
• The number of infected persons identified in each state is as follows:  Colorado (11), Nebraska (1), Oklahoma (1), and Texas (2).
• Listeriosis illnesses in New Mexico and several other states are currently being investigated.
• Ages range from 38 to 96 years, with a median age of 84 years old.
• Most ill persons are over 60 years old or have health conditions that weaken the immune system. Seventy-three percent of ill persons are female.
• All 15 confirmed case patients were hospitalized.
• Laboratory testing by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment confirms Listeria monocytogenes bacteria on cantaloupe harvested in the Rocky Ford Region.
• FDA is working closely with CDC, the firms involved, and state public health authorities to determine the exact source of contamination.
• No recall yet. Specific growers and distributors have not been named.

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Now additional work must be done with assistance from federal agencies to trace where the contaminated melon is coming from. "The information should be released as quickly as humanly possible to protect others from contracting this dangerous disease,'' said Pritzker, founder and president of Pritzker Olsen Attorneys.

"The system must put consumers first,'' Pritzker said in a news release.

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A celery Listeria outbreak that has killed at least four people in Texas is linked to contaminated celery processed at the Sangar Produce and Processing Co. plant in San Antonio.

The initial celery Listeria connection was made by the Texas Department of State Health and refuted by the company. Now separate testing by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has confirmed what state officials found. FDA said in a statement it found Listeria bacteria not only on celery but in several places in the building, including work surfaces, after a visit Oct. 14 and 15. The strain of Listeria was genetically matched to people sickened in the outbreak over a 10-month period, the FDA statement said.

A state health official told the San Antonio Express that tests now have conclusively linked seven of the 10 infections in the 2010 outbreak to the company's celery, one more than when the plant was shut down in late October. There have been at least four celery Listeria deaths in this outbreak. The plant was closed by state officials and can't reopen without permission

. An FDA report also released Wednesday included 18 observations from inspectors, including failure to take necessary precautions to protect against contamination of food and food contact surfaces; improper temperatures, failure to store raw materials in a way that protects against contamination; failure to take apart equipment as necessary to ensure thorough cleaning; and failure to take effective measures to protect finished food from contamination by raw materials and refuse.

Law firm PritzkerOlsen, P.A., is investigating the outbreak and providing claims assistance to victims. Our firm has won millions for Listeriosis victims, including $6,000,000 for wrongful death claims filed by three families. Contact Attorney Fred Pritzker, lead attorney for our Listeria lawsuits, at 1-888-377-8900 (TOLL FREE) or complete the contact form on the side of this Web page. Our firm is one of the few in the country practicing extensively in the area of foodborne illness litigation and Mr. Pritzker is a recognized leader in this area of personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits.

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Sangar Produce & Processing Co. lawyers are disputing a link to four Listeria celery deaths but the Texas Department of State Health Services is not backing down from its finding that a 2010 Listeriosis outbreak was caused by contaminated celery from the firm's San Antonio plant.

"It's disappointing that the company appears to be using time and energy to promote a video to the news media that shows nothing of significance," state health department spokeswoman Carrie Williams said. "With four deaths linked to the plant, we would hope their total focus is on cleaning and continuing to work with us on the recall."

Williams was quoted in a San Antonio Express-News story that said lawyers for Sangar released a video from the plant's security system that shows the state's health inspector did not wear gloves, mask and gown while collecting a celery sample that tested positive for the outbreak strain of Listeria monocytogenes. The company maintains the specimen was transported in a non-chilled container — all of which might have contaminated the samples.

But state health officials say proper protocol was followed. "The samples were properly collected, handled and stored, and we stand by our findings,'' Williams told the newspaper. She also said officials first discovered Listeria contamination in Sangar celery at an unidentified food establishment that used the product. The tests at the factory confirmed the source of contamination, she said.

The Texas Listeria outbreak infected 10 people in Bexar, Travis and Hidalgo counties - five of them fatally - since the beginning of the year. Six cases were conclusively linked to the celery, health officials said, including four deaths.  Three of the deaths were Bexar County residents.

Listeria lawyers at food safety law firm PritzkerOlsen, P.A., are investigating this outbreak and accepting cases. Our firm has won millions for families in wrongful death actions. Attorney Fred Pritzker, lead attorney for our listeriosis lawsuits, is listed in The Best Lawyers in America. To contact our Listeria attorneys regarding a Sangar celery lawsuit, please call 1-888-377-8900 (TOLL FREE) or submit our free consultation form on the side of this Web page. We don't get paid unless you win.

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The Sangar celery Listeria outbreak in Texas has killed five individuals and called national attention to a human pathogen that isn't as well known as E. coli or Salmonella. Food safety law firm PritzkerOlsen, P.A., has compiled a fact sheet on the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes and Listeriosis, its related disease. The outbreak has been associated with Sangar chopped celery distributed since January to restaurants and institutional entities, such as hospitals and schools..

Sangar Celery Litigation and Listeria Backgrounder

In the United States, an estimated 2,500 persons become seriously ill with Listeriosis each year. Of these, 500 die.  

Listeria monocytogenes is found in soil and water. Vegetables can become contaminated from the soil or from manure used as fertilizer.  The bacterium has been found in a variety of raw foods, such as uncooked meats and vegetables, including chopped celery at Sangar Fresh Cut Produce in San Antonio, Texas. If cutting surfaces are contaminated with Listeria, vegetables prepared on those surfaces likely will be tainted.

Listeria is killed by pasteurization and cooking. That's what makes ready-to-eat foods such as diced vegetables dangerous if they are  consumed without any further safety preparation steps.

Listeria has the ability to grow at temperatures as low as 3°C, a trait that permits multiplication of the pathogen in refrigerated foods.

Confirmed outbreaks of Listeriosis are rare. The vast majority of cases are sporadic, making epidemiological links to food very difficult.

Most healthy persons probably show no symptoms beyond mild flu-like conditions. The "complications" are the usual clinical expressions of the disease.

The disease affects primarily persons of advanced age, pregnant women, newborns, and adults with weakened immune systems. However, persons without these risk factors can also rarely be affected.

Complications: When Listeria meningitis occurs, the overall mortality may be as high as 70%; from septicemia 50%, from perinatal/neonatal infections greater than 80%. 

Pregnant women are about 20 times more likely than other healthy adults to get Listeriosis. About one-third of Listeriosis cases happen during pregnancy. Babies can be born with the disease, but an infection during pregnancy also can result in premature delivery or stillbirth.

Listeriosis symptoms include fever, muscle aches, and sometimes gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea or diarrhea. If infection spreads to the nervous system, symptoms such as headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, or convulsions can occur.

The biggest recent outbreak of Listeriosis happened in Canada in 2008. Twenty-three people died in 57 confirmed cases. Canadian health officials linked the outbreak to deli meats produced in the Maple Leaf Foods plant in North York, Ontario, a neighorhood of Toronto.

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Five Texas celery Listeria deaths have been linked to contamination found at the Sangar Fresh Cut Produce plant in San Antonio as part of an investigation that dates to the very beginning of 2010. Listeria attorneys from PritzkerOlsen, P.A., have been monitoring this food poisoning outbreak since May, when Texas health officials first announced that two of seven people who contracted the same strain of listeriosis died.

At that time, the cause wasn't known. But this week the Texas Department of State Health Services confirmed a link to Listeria bacteria found in chopped celery from the Sangar plant. The state ordered a recall of all products shipped from Sangar Fresh Cut Produce since January. The illnesses occurred in Bexar, Travis and Hidalgo counties.

In preparation for a potential celery Listeria lawsuit, PritzkerOlsen is accepting cases from families affected by this outbreak, including survivors of those who have died. Ten cases were investigated and six have been confirmed through DNA fingerprinting as having been caused by contaminated chopped celery from Sangar, officials have said. Certain victims were in fragile health with serious underlying conditions, but that has no bearing on the importance of their legal case because all who suffered did so at the hands of a company that sold adulterated food and should be held accountable.

Pritzker Olsen attorneys have won millions for the families of listeriosis victims, including $6,000,000 for wrongful death claims filed by three families. Contact Attorney Fred Pritzker, lead attorney for our listeriosis lawsuits, at 1-888-377-8900 (TOLL FREE) or complete the contact form on the side of this Web page. Our firm is one of the few in the country practicing extensively in the area of foodborne illness litigation and Mr. Pritzker is a recognized leader in this area of personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits.

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A Texas Listeria outbreak has prompted state health officials to order a sweeping recall of all products shipped since January from Sangar Fresh Cut Produce in San Antonio. The recall was ordered after lab tests of chopped celery from the plant indicated the presence of Listeria monocytogenes.

The order prohibits the plant from reopening without approval from the Texas Department of State Health Services. 

The recalled products – primarily cut fresh produce in sealed packages – were distributed to restaurants and institutional entities, such as hospitals and schools, and are not believed to be sold in grocery stores. The testing was done as part of a Department of State Health Services investigation into 10 listeriosis cases, including five deaths, reported to the department over an eight-month period, the health department said in a press release. Six of the 10 cases have been linked to chopped celery from the Sangar plant, the release said.

Besides finding traces of Listeria, Texas health inspectors also found sanitation issues at the plant and believe the Listeria found in the chopped celery may have contaminated other food. The department found a condensation leak above a food product area, soil on a preparation table and hand washing deficiences. The health department is notifying Sangar customers to ensure they are taking precautions. 

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State and local health officials around San Antonio, Texas, are investigating five illnesses and two deaths from Listeria monocytogenes, a pathogen sometimes found in soft cheeses and deli meats.

The cases have cropped up sporadically since January and they are spread across three counties. This makes it difficult for investigators to trace the food that is causing the illnesses. None of the Texas Listeria outbreak victims know each other, but their illnesses share the same genetic fingerprint.

Roger Sanchez, senior epidemiologist for San Antonio Metropolitan Health District, said the outbreak isn't large but most of the patients have underlying health conditions. They range in age from 66 to 93.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that 2,500 become seriously ill each year with listeriosis, and 500 of them die.

Listeria is unlike many other germs because it can grow even in the cold temperature of the refrigerator. The organism is especially harmful to pregnant women, who are 20 times more likely than other healthy adults to get the infection. An infection can cause stillbirth or miscarriage.

If you or someone you love is part of this outbreak, call law firm Pritzker Olsen for a free case consultation at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free), or by completing the contact form on the side of this Web page. If we agree to take your case, you will owe us nothing until the case is won.

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