Listeria Outbreak Tied To Deli Meat

With turkey deli meat now identified as the prime suspect in a deadly, seven-state outbreak of the bacterial infection listeriosis, New Jersey health officials are urging caution among the elderly, others with weak immune systems and pregnant women.

Those groups should either avoid eating sliced deli turkey or heat it in a microwave or conventional oven until it is steaming, Dr. Clifton R. Lacy, state Health and Senior Services Commissioner, said Monday.

"Everybody at high risk should always take precautions when handling food," Lacy said during a news conference.

As of last Friday, 21 New Jersey residents have been diagnosed with listeriosis, which is caused by the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes. Of those, seven people ages 56 to 82, all of whom had underlying medical problems, have died.

None of the New Jersey patients who died had the Listeria strain causing an outbreak in the Northeast that has infected at least 40 people, killing seven and hospitalizing all of them.

However, four of the 21 New Jersey patients were infected with the strain associated with the outbreak elsewhere.

Three were pregnant women who suffered complications. One suffered a miscarriage, one had a stillbirth and the third transmitted the bacterium to her baby, the fourth patient. The baby survived.

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Author: NBC10/AP