Listeria Outbreak with Unknown Food Source

A specific food item has not yet been identified as the source of this outbreak.

Public health officials are interviewing people in this outbreak to find out what foods they ate before getting sick. Investigators are collecting as much information as they can to solve this outbreak.

Listeria is especially harmful if you are pregnant, aged 65 or older, or have a weakened immune system due to certain medical conditions or treatments. Other people can be infected with Listeria, but they rarely become seriously ill.

If you are pregnant, aged 65 or older, or have a weakened immune system:

• Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any of these symptoms:
  • People who are not pregnant usually have fever, muscle aches, and tiredness. They may also get a headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, or seizures.
  • Pregnant people usually have fever, muscle aches, and tiredness. However, Listeria can cause pregnancy loss or premature birth. It can also cause serious illness or death in newborns.
• Provide information to help us identify the contaminated food
  • If you are sick with Listeria, local or state health officials may contact you to find out what you ate in the month before you got sick. They may also ask for copies of receipts, your shopper card number, or leftover food for testing.
• Take steps to prevent getting sick from Listeria
  • Follow CDC on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter for updates about this outbreak.
  • Learn which foods are more likely to contain Listeria and ways to prevent getting Listeria.
  • Stay up-to-date on food recalls and outbreaks.

• Report listeriosis cases to your local health department.
• For more information about clinical features of listeriosis and patient management, see Listeria Information for Health Professionals and Laboratories.

• Listeria is especially harmful to people who are pregnant, aged 65 or older, or with weakened immune systems. This is because Listeria is more likely to spread beyond their gut to other parts of their body, resulting in a severe condition known as invasive listeriosis.
  • For people who are pregnant, Listeria can cause pregnancy loss, premature birth, or a life-threatening infection in their newborn.
  • For people who are 65 years or older or who have a weakened immune system, Listeria often results in hospitalization and sometimes death.
• Symptoms usually start within 2 weeks after eating food contaminated with Listeria, but may start as early as the same day or as late as 10 weeks after.
  • Pregnant people usually have fever, muscle aches, and tiredness.
  • People who are not pregnant usually have fever, muscle aches, and tiredness. They may also get a headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, or seizures.
• For more information about Listeria, see the Listeria Questions and Answers page.