Texas Resident Sickened In Listeria Outbreak: CDC

TEXAS — A Texas resident was sickened in connection with a Listeria outbreak tied to brie and camembert cheeses that have caused several people to fall ill, in most cases requiring hospitalization, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC issued a food safety alert last week about the outbreak, which has sickened people in Massachusetts, New Jersey, Georgia, Michigan, Texas and California, sending five of the six patients to the hospital.

The illnesses are connected to brie and camembert cheeses manufactured by Michigan-based Old Europe Cheese, Inc. The company, which has issued a sweeping recall, makes cheeses marketed under prominent brands such as Good & Gather, Trader Joe’s, Fresh Thyme and many more. Its products are sold at stores like Whole Foods, Stop & Shop, Albertsons and numerous others in the United States and Mexico.

Best-by dates on the affected cheeses are Sept. 28 to Dec. 14. Investigators are working to determine if additional products may be contaminated.

Anyone in possession of recalled cheese should throw it away and clean the refrigerator as well as containers and surfaces that may have touched the cheese. People should also call a healthcare provider about any Listeria symptoms that develop after eating recalled cheese.

Listeria can cause severe illness when the bacteria spread beyond the gut to other parts of the body, according to the CDC. Almost all severe illnesses result in hospitalizations and sometimes death. Symptoms of severe illness usually start within two weeks of eating food contaminated with Listeria, but may begin as early as the same day or as late as 10 weeks after.

People with Listeria may experience headaches, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, convulsions, fever and muscle aches. Those who are pregnant usually have only fever, fatigue and muscle aches, but Listeria can cause pregnancy loss or premature birth. It can also lead to serious illness or death in newborns.

Pregnant people and newborns, adults 65 years or older, and people with weakened immune systems are at higher risk for severe illness. Others can be infected with Listeria, but usually get mild food poisoning symptoms, such as diarrhea and fever, and recover without treatment.

For questions about the recalled cheese, contact Old Europe at 269-925-5003 ext. 335, 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 2-4 p.m. EST Monday to Friday. For more details about the recall, visit https://bit.ly/3VhOaSU.