Five of the deaths have been miscarriages - fetuses or infants of pregnant women infected with Listeria. This outbreak has been linked to contaminated hot dogs and deli meats distributed by the Bil Mar Foods division of Sara Lee and a recall of these contaminated products dates to 22 December 1998. An average of 4-6 Listeria infections a year are reported annually to the Westchester County Health Department. Prior to 1998, most of the cases occurred in elderly individuals with underlying health problems. It is thus not a common cause of illness in the general population but can cause life threatening meningoencephalitis and bacteremia in neonates, pregnant women, immunosuppressed individuals, and the elderly.
Education regarding Listeria is particularly beneficial to such individuals.
These high-risk individuals are also advised to be alerted to recalls of foods contaminated with Listeria such as those described in more detail below. Listeria is widespread in nature and found commonly in soil, decaying vegetation, and in the fecal flora of many mammals. Listeria has also been recovered from many foods including unpasteurized dairy products, raw vegetables, meats, poultry, and fish. If left untreated during pregnancy, it can lead to premature delivery and fetal death. On exam of CSF, Gram stain is negative and glucose in normal in over half of cases and there is a predominance of mononuclear cells in about one third of cases.