In Missouri, where Listeria in caramel apples has sickened five people, an investigation into the source of the outbreak has intensified. State health officials are working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to discover the source of the problem and the scope of distribution of the caramel apples.
So far, the list of stores in Missouri that sold prepackaged, commercially prepared caramel apples that may have been contaminated with Listeria includes Walmart, Sam’s Club, Kroger, and Merb’s Candies. None of these stores is still selling the recalled caramel apples, but symptoms of a Listeria infection, which include fever, stiff neck, muscle aches and gastrointestinal issues, can take as long as 70 days to develop.
All of the case patients in Missouri are in the eastern or northeastern part of the state. The last case was reported in mid-November, according Ryan Hobart, a spokesman for the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.
Three of the case patients, who range in age from 25 to 92, are male and two are female, Hobart told Food Poisoning Bulletin. One of them has died, but the cause of death was not listed as Listeria.
Listeria illnesses linked to caramel apples have been reported in 10 others state. So far, the total number of people sick is 32. Six people have died. The case count by state is as follows: Arizona (4), California (2), Minnesota (4), Missouri (5), Nevada (1), New Mexico (6), North Carolina (1), Texas (4), Utah (1), Washington (1), and Wisconsin (3).
Half of all the case patients are over the age of 66. Ten of the illnesses are associated with a pregnancy including at least three babies who were born prematurely with Listeria infections and one fetal loss. Three children under the age of 15 have been diagnosed with Listeria meningitis.
