Health agencies stated that most of the patients lived in long-term care facilities or were hospitalized before becoming sick.
An ongoing multistate listeria outbreak dating back to 2018 has been linked to frozen supplemental shakes distributed to long-term care facilities and hospitals nationwide, health officials said on Feb. 24.
As of Monday, a total of 38 people infected with the outbreak strain of Listeria monocytogenes have been reported in 21 states, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which said 37 people have been hospitalized and 12 deaths reported.
The FDA began investigating infections in long-term care facilities in 2018, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). However, the agency was unable to identify the source due to a lack of information at the time.
The agency restarted its investigation in October 2024 after six new cases were reported last year. The outbreak strain was detected in environmental samples from Prairie Farms Dairy this month. Records from facilities showed that supplement shakes were a common food served to residents, according to the CDC.
The FDA stated that it conducted an onsite inspection at Prairie Farms Dairy and collected environmental and product samples as part of the investigation. Three of the environmental swabs collected from the processing area tested positive for Listeria, and further analysis revealed that these samples were linked to the outbreak strain.
The outbreak was linked to 4 oz Lyons ReadyCare and Sysco Imperial Frozen Supplemental Shakes manufactured by Prairie Farms Dairy. Distributor Lyons Magnus said it has issued a recall of the products due to potential contamination of Listeria monocytogenes.
Related Stories
“As soon as Lyons Magnus learned of the issue, it took immediate action to halt the purchase of all products from the affected Prairie Farms facility, notify customers, and ensure that impacted products were removed from distribution nationally,” the company said in a Feb. 22 statement.
Lyons Magnus stated that the recalled products were distributed to long-term care facilities and were not sold in retail stores. The company urged anyone in possession of the recalled frozen shakes to quarantine them.
The FDA is continuing to collect data and the investigation is ongoing, according to the CDC. The Epoch Times reached out to Prairie Farms for comment but did not receive a response by publication time.
The CDC said the number of infections could be higher and that the outbreak may extend beyond the 21 states with known cases, as some people may not have been tested for Listeria. It said new infections may emerge in the coming days because it takes three to four weeks to confirm whether someone is infected.
States with known cases include California, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, New York, Tennessee, Texas, and Washington.
Listeria is a bacterium that can contaminate food and lead to severe illness in children, pregnant women, older adults, and those with weakened immune systems. It is the third leading cause of death from foodborne illness in the United States, with an estimated 1,600 people becoming infected and about 260 deaths occurring each year, according to the CDC.
Symptoms can typically appear within two weeks of consuming contaminated food, the agency said. Common symptoms include fever, muscle aches, nausea, tiredness, vomiting and diarrhea. Pregnant women infected with Listeria are at risk of miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery or a life-threatening infection in their newborns.
Listeria infection can also cause invasive illness, in which the bacteria spread beyond the intestines. In such cases, individuals may experience headaches, a stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions.
Reuters contributed to this report.
