Two Illinois restaurants served the Crave Brothers soft French cheeses that have been linked to a multistate Listeria outbreak. Girl & The Goat in Chicago, and the Hilton Hotel in Chicago sold the recalled cheese. Anyone who ate Les Frères, Petit Frère, or Petit Frère with Truffles at those restaurants may be at risk for developing listeriosis, a serious disease.
Attorney Fred Pritzker, a nationally recognized food safety lawyer, said, “Listeriosis can be a devastating disease that is especially dangerous for the young, the elderly, those with compromised immune systems, and pregnant women. Most people who contract listeriosis are hospitalized and up to 20% of those with the illness die. Anyone who has been sick with the symptoms of listeriosis should see a doctor immediately.”
So far five people have been officially diagnosed with listeriosis in this outbreak. All five have been hospitalized as a result of their illnesses. One person has died, and a woman suffered a miscarriage because of the infection. The outbreak case count by state is: Minnesota (2), Indiana (1), Illinois (1), and Ohio (1). Those patients were diagnosed between May 20, 2013 and June 17, 2013.
The symptoms of listeriosis include stiff neck, fever, muscle aches, and headache. Pregnant women can have only mild flu-like symptoms, but the infection can cause miscarriage and stillbirth. One of the problems with this infection is that symptoms sometimes do not appear until 70 days after you have been exposed to the bacteria. Since most people have trouble remembering what they ate last week, often the symptoms are not connected to the food responsible for the infection.
