BACKGROUND: @entity5125 has been estimated to cause >2500 illnesses and 500 deaths annually in the United States. Efforts to reduce foodborne listeriosis have focused on foods frequently implicated in outbreaks. Potential sources for @entity5125 infection not associated with outbreaks remain poorly understood. METHODS: The @entity6766 Active Surveillance Network conducts surveillance for culture-confirmed listeriosis at clinical laboratories in 9 states. After excluding outbreak-associated cases, we attempted to enroll eligible case @entity1 with @entity5125 infection in a case-control study from 2000 through 2003. Control subjects were recruited through health care providers and were matched to case @entity1 by state, age, and immunosuppression status. Data were collected about exposures occurring in the 4 weeks before specimen collection from the case @entity1 . RESULTS: Of the 249 case @entity1 with @entity5125 infection, only 12 (5%) had cases that were associated with outbreaks; 6 other @entity1 were ineligible for other reasons. Of 231 eligible case @entity1 , 169 (73%) were enrolled in the study. We classified 28 case @entity1 as having pregnancy-associated cases. We enrolled 376 control subjects. In multivariable analysis, @entity5125 infection was associated with eating melons at a commercial establishment (odds ratio, 2.6; 95% confidence interval, 1.4-5.0) and eating hummus prepared in a commercial establishment (odds ratio, 5.7; 95% confidence interval, 1.7-19.1). CONCLUSIONS: Most cases of @entity5125 infection were not associated with outbreaks. Reducing the @entity5124 may require interventions directed at retail environments and at foods, such as melons and hummus, that are not commonly recognized as high risk. Because of the severity of listeriosis, pregnant @entity1 and other @entity1 at risk may wish to avoid eating these newly implicated foods.

XXXX infection from foods prepared in a commercial establishment: a case-control study of potential sources of sporadic illness in the United States.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['women', 'patients', 'persons'] @entity5125 :: ('1639', 'Species') :: ['Listeria monocytogenes', 'L. monocytogenes'] @entity6766 :: ('MESH:D005517', 'Disease') :: ['Foodborne Diseases'] @entity5124 :: ('MESH:D008088', 'Disease') :: ['burden of foodborne listeriosis']
@entity5125 :: (1639,Species) :: ['Listeria monocytogenes']
