The Food and Drug Administration is investigating an outbreak of Listeria that has killed at least one person.
The FDA, CDC and public health officials are looking into ten cases of Listeria monocytogenes infections reported in Florida, Massachusetts and New York. One person has died, the only available information is that the person lived in Florida.
Genome sequencing of the Listeria bacteria isolated from those infected shows the ten people in this outbreak are more likely to share a common source of infection, according to the FDA. Samples were taken from patients between August 6 and October 3.
In interviews with nine of the infected people, they all reported eating Italian-style meats recently, like salami, mortadella, or prosciutto, according to the FDA.
Public health investigators have not found a common type of deli meat or common supplier among the patients at this time.
The patients in this outbreak range in age from 40-to-89 years old, and all of them needed to be hospitalized.
Listeria can cause different symptoms, depending on the person and part of the body affected, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Symptoms include headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, fever and muscle aches.
