The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a new report on the multistate outbreak of listeriosis linked to Crave Brothers soft-ripened cheese in the summer of 2013. The Minnesota Department of Health notified the CDC about the outbreak on June 27, 2013, when two patients with invasive Listeria monocytogenes infections were sickened with Listeria bacteria that had indistinguishable PFGE patterns. The outbreak, which sickened six people, killed one person, and caused one miscarriage, was linked to one of three varieties of Crave Brothers cheese, including Les Frères, Petit Frère, or Petit Frère with truffles. Three patients bought the cheese at three different restaurants; two purchased the cheese at two different grocery stores. The cheeses had been purchased as … [Read more...]
Texas Cheese Listeria Update Highlights Advanced Technique
Now that a Texan has contracted listeriosis linked to the Crave Brothers cheese Listeria outbreak, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has announced a new phase of its investigation into the dangerous cluster of food poisoning illnesses. In an announcement from Atlanta this week, the CDC said it has employed the advanced technology of whole genome sequencing to more accurately define the outbreak strain of Listeria monocytogenes. This highly discriminatory subtyping method will help clarify which patients' illnesses across the country are related to the outbreak, which now has six confirmed case patients. Listeria lawyer Fred Pritzker, whose food poisoning law firm has been conducting its own investigation of the outbreak, applauded the move as a potential harbinger of better … [Read more...]
Crave Brothers Cheese Linked to Six Listeria Cases; One Death in Minnesota
Six people have been sickened in a Listeria monocytogenes outbreak linked to Crave Brothers Farmstead cheeses. The outbreak case count is: Illinois (1), Indiana (1), Minnesota (2), Ohio (1), and Texas (1). One person in Minnesota has died. All six people were hospitalized as a result of their illness. In addition, one pregnant women suffered a miscarriage. The case in Texas is new to the outbreak since the last update in July 2013. An investigation by local and state public health officials, the CDC, and the FDA indicates that Les Frères, Petit Frère, and Petit Frère with Truffles cheeses made by Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese Company are the likely source of this outbreak. The cheese was recalled on July 3, 2013. The firm has stopped production and the FDA is monitoring … [Read more...]
Les Freres Cheese Listeria Inspection Involves Two Agencies
The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture has joined the Food and Drug Adminstration in an inspection of Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese Company in Waterloo, Wisconsin. The dual-agency review of Crave Brothers' facilities is part of a "fast-breaking investigation'' of a multi-state outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes that has resulted in one miscarriage and the death of an older adult from Minnesota. The linkage between the health threat and Crave Brothers soft cheese was drawn to a point by preliminary pathogen testing of cheese samples taken from separate retail locations by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. Crave Brothers Les Frères cheese and Petit Frère with Truffles were the two cheeses where Listeria was found. Listeriosis, a life-threatening foodborne disease, is especially … [Read more...]
Minneapolis Restaurant Butcher & The Boar Part of Crave Brothers Listeria Cheese Recall
A premier Minnesota restaurant, Butcher & The Boar, is the only restaurant in the state named by Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese Company as a recipient of soft cheese associated with a deadly outbreak of listeriosis. Whole Foods Markets, Lunds, Byerlys, Rainbow, Kowalski's and other grocery retailers also sold the cheese, as did restaurants in Wisconsin and Illinois. The recalled gourmet cheese has been associated with a Listeria death in Minnesota, a second Minnesota illness and individual cases of listeriosis in Illinois, Indiana and Ohio. All five people were hospitalized and one infection in a pregnant woman resulted in miscarriage. Laboratory tests conducted by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture on samples of Les Frères and Petit Frère with Truffles cheeses made by Crave … [Read more...]
Whole Foods Market, Cheese Recall Issued after Listeria Outbreak Hits Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio
Cheese sold at Whole Foods Market has been recalled after an outbreak of Listeria food poisoning (listeriosis) sickened at least 5 people in 4 states: Minnesota (2), Illinois (1), Indiana (1) and Ohio (1). One of the Minnesota Listeria victims died. The recalled cheese, manufactured by Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese Company, includes Les Freres (LF225 2/2.5#), Petit Frère (PF88 8/8 oz) and Petit Frère with Truffles (PF88T 8/8 oz), all with a make date of 7-1-13 or earlier. The recalled cheese was sold at Whole Foods Market and Kroger stores nationwide, and at other retail stores and restaurants, according to the Crave Brothers website. The FDA has not released information as to the store or restaurant connected to the outbreak. "Because the incubation period for Listeria can be as long … [Read more...]
