Abstract
On November 13, 2000, health-care providers at a hospital in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, contacted the local health department about three cases of listeriosis within a 2-week period in recent Mexican immigrants. The North Carolina General Communicable Disease Control Branch, in collaboration with the Forsyth County Health Department, the North Carolina Departments of Agriculture and Consumer Services (NCDA&CS) and Environment and Natural Resources, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and CDC investigated this outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes infections. This report summarizes the results of the investigation, which implicated noncommercial, homemade, Mexican-style fresh soft cheese produced from contaminated raw milk sold by a local dairy farm as the causative agent. Culturally appropriate education efforts are important to reduce the risk for L. monocytogenes transmission through Mexican-style fresh soft cheese.
Highlights
ON NOVEMBER 13, 2000, HEALTH-CARE providers at a hospital in WinstonSalem, North Carolina, contacted the local health department about three cases of listeriosis within a 2-week period in recent Mexican immigrants
Administration (FDA), and CDC investigated this outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes infections
This report summarizes the results of the investigation, which implicated noncommercial, homemade, Mexican-style fresh soft cheese produced from contaminated raw milk sold by a local dairy farm as the causative agent
Summary
This report summarizes the results of the investigation, which implicated noncommercial, homemade, Mexican-style fresh soft cheese produced from contaminated raw milk sold by a local dairy farm as the causative agent. CDC Editorial Note: The investigation of this outbreak implicated Mexican-style fresh soft cheese made from unpasteurized milk and hotdogs, two vehicles commonly identified as causes of. The laboratory investigation resulted in isolation of L. monocytogenes from patients, cheese, and raw milk at a dairy farm. The popularity of queso fresco, a Mexican- style fresh soft cheese made from unpasteurized milk, has resulted in several outbreaks in Hispanic communities since the 1980s. Successful communication of public health messages to the Hispanic community about the risk for eating Mexican-style fresh soft cheese made from raw milk can be challenging because of language and other social barriers. Twenty-eight states permit the sale of raw milk directly from farmers to consumers. Until all states prohibit such sales, outbreaks associated with eating queso fresco and other unpasteurized dairy products may continue despite efforts to educate consumers, especially those who do not speak or read English and whose cultural dietary habits favor such products
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