Raw Foods Linked to Listeria Outbreak Causing the Death of Ohio Woman
Raw foods, particularly fruits and vegetables, when stored in the fridge have been highly associated with listeriosis, an illness blamed over the death of 79-year-old Ellen DiStefano from Franklin County in Ohio.
The Columbus Dispatch reports that according to a lawsuit filed in the Clark County Common Pleas Court, DiStefano became ill after she ate a salad containing fruits produced by Dole. She was taken to hospital in January, where she was diagnosed with an infection caused by the listeria monocytogenes bacteria. DiStefano died on Feb. 27.
The Star reveals that Dole has stopped all production in its Ohio plant and has recalled packaged salads in the state as well as from supermarkets in Ontario, Brunswick and Quebec in Canada. The decision was after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a report that linked DiStefano's death and the hospitalizations of 12 people in six states in the US to Dole's packaged salads.
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The listeria monocytogenes bacteria live naturally in soil and water, as per Dr. Robert Glatter, an emergency physician at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. Vegetables could be contaminated by the said bacteria when grown in contaminated soil or when manure is used as a fertilizer. Another cause, Mayo Clinic reports, is consuming unpasteurized milk or contaminated processed foods.
Symptoms of listeriosis include fever, muscle aches, nausea and diarrhea. If the infection has spread to the patient's nervous system, he or she would experience headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions.
Dr. Yoni Freedhoff from the University of Ottawa discussed in his interview on CTV the health concerns associated with frozen fruits and vegetables, noting that these products can live in the fridge for a long time but so does listeria. He says there are two types of listeria: listeria gastroenteritis and invasive listeriosis.
Freedhoff explains that listeria gastroenteritis is a stomach virus that causes nausea and diarrhea while invasive listeriosis puts pregnant women and people who are immunocompromised at risk. However, he points out that the bacteria can be eliminated through cooking at high temperatures.
"It's more the ingestion of uncooked contaminants that can lead to this problem," Freedhodff said.
According to CDC, listeria infection can be treated with antibiotics. Pregnant women and older adults are advised to seek medical help as they are at higher risk. However, there are cases people would not show symptoms despite having consumed contaminated food and in such cases, experts believe no tests or treatment are needed.
