Three new illnesses, and one additional death, have been reported in a multistate Listeria outbreak linked to packaged meals.
In an outbreak update late last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said 20 people from 15 states have now been sickened in the Listeria monocytogenes outbreak, up from 17 since the agency's last update on June 18. Of the 20 case-patients, 19 have been hospitalized and 4 have died. One pregnancy-associated illness resulted in fetal loss.
The outbreak has been tied to packaged pasta meals made by FreshRealm. The initial cases identified by the CDC's PulseNet system were traced to consumption of FreshRealm chicken fettucine alfredo heat-and-serve meals, which tested positive for the outbreak strain and were recalled on June 17. In its update, the CDC said the pasta in FreshRealm's beef meatball marinara linguini meals, made by Nate's Fine Foods, has also tested positive for Listeria, but the product has not been distributed.
"Pasta that went into the beef meatball marinara linguine meals has tested positive for Listeria, but additional information is pending to determine if the samples taken from the pre-cooked pasta is the same strain making people sick," the CDC said. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and US Department of Agriculture (USDA) are also involved in the investigation.
In a statement emailed to reporters today, a company spokesperson said whole-genome sequencing has confirmed that the Listeria strains in the cooked pasta are identical to the outbreak strain.
"We now know the source was cooked pasta," the statement said. "FreshRealm promptly shared these results with USDA, FDA and the CDC and will continue to work closely with these agencies.”
True number of illnesses could be higher
The affected states are California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, and Virginia. The age of patients ranges from 4 to 92 years. Illnesses date back to August 1, 2024.
State and local public health officials are continuing to interview people about the foods they ate in the months before they got sick to determine whether other products may have been involved. Of the 13 people interviewed, 7 reported eating pre-cooked meals and 4 reported eating chicken fettucine alfredo.
The CDC says the true number of people sickened in the outbreak is likely much higher, since some people recover from listeriosis without medical care and never get tested.
Editor's note: This story was updated at 5:10pm.
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