Blue Bell Ice Cream Linked to 3 Deaths of Hospitalized Patients

Blue Bell ice cream is being linked to 3 deaths and 2 other illnesses that occurred in one Kansas hospital and over the course of one year.  The patients were not hopitalized for Listeria but came into contact it while there at the hospital.  All were older patients.  While the patients were infected with one of four strains, 3 of the strains have been found in product samples by South Carolina Dept of Health during routine testing.  After investigating the facility, Texas Department of Health collected samples from the manufacturing facility and found the organisms in the same products.

A later news report stated that officials said that Listeria may be a factor and that four of the five ate milkshakes made with the ice cream. Interesting.

So a few things to note.
1) To date, this is the only setting that had an outbreak.  Why one hospital?
2) Was product handled by the hospital?  It would appear so that milkshakes were made from the ice cream.

So while it is yet to be determined, if you had to guess, could it be that indeed the Listeria was present in the ice cream, but the fact that milkshakes were served, could indicate that though handling and preparation, the organism was able to grow to a higher level within the milkshake during preparation and handling.  Could it be that the patients left the milkshake warm up before eating, or ate it over the period of a day.  So this served as amplification step?  Perhaps this is why we didn't see any cases associated with frozen treats?  You are not going to eat them after they melted.  Of course this is all hard to tell based upon the limited information provided in the news reports.

KRQE News 13
http://krqe.com/ap/officials-listeriosis-not-cause-of-3-deaths-may-be-factor-2/
Officials: Listeriosis not cause of 3 deaths, may be factor
By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH and JUAN A. LOZANO, The Associated Press Published: March 14, 2015, 5:19 pm Updated: March 14, 2015, 5:19 pm

KANSAS CITY, Missouri (AP) — A foodborne illness linked to some ice cream products might have been a contributing factor in the deaths of three hospital patients in Kansas, health officials said Saturday.

But listeriosis didn’t cause the deaths, according to Kansas Department of Health and Environment spokeswoman Sara Belfry.

Officials have not released the names of the five patients at Via Christi St. Francis hospital in Wichita, Kansas, who developed listeriosis in after eating products from one production line at the Blue Bell creamery in Brenham, Texas.

But the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the five individuals were older adults and three of them are women. The CDC did not specify the gender of those patients who died.

The five patients became ill with listeriosis during their hospitalizations for unrelated causes between December 2013 and January 2015. But hospital spokeswoman Maria Loving said she couldn’t discuss why the patients were hospitalized, citing patient confidentiality laws.

According to the CDC, information available for four of the five patients shows they had eaten while hospitalized milkshakes made with a Blue Bell ice cream product called “Scoops” in the month before the infection.

The FDA says listeria bacteria were found in samples of Scoops, as well as other Blue Bell ice cream products.

Blue Bell says it has recovered all recalled products that were in stores and in storage.

The Texas Department of State Health Services said facilities like Blue Bell’s are inspected on a monthly basis. The agency added that no enforcement action had previously been taken against the facility in Brenham and it is operating in compliance with food safety laws.

It’s not unusual to see listeria outbreaks linked to dairy products, including ice cream, said William Marler, an attorney who represented victims of a 2011 listeria outbreak that killed 33 people and was traced to a Colorado cantaloupe farm.

Listeriosis is a life-threatening infection caused by eating food contaminated with bacteria called Listeria monocytogenes, the CDC said. The disease primarily affects pregnant women and their newborns, older adults, and people with immune systems weakened by cancer, cancer treatments, or other serious conditions.

 

 

FDA website
http://www.fda.gov/Food/RecallsOutbreaksEmergencies/Outbreaks/ucm438104.htm
FDA Investigates Listeria monocytogenes in Ice Cream Products from Blue Bell Creameries
March 13, 2015

On this page:



What is the Problem and What is Being Done About It?

According to the CDC and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, five patients who were treated in a single hospital in Kansas were infected with one of four rare strains of Listeria monocytogenes. Three of these strains, which are highly similar, have also been found in products manufactured at the Blue Bell Creameries production facility in Brenham, Texas. Illness onset dates range from January 2014 to January 2015.

FDA was notified that these three strains and four other rare strains of Listeria monocytogenes were found in samples of Blue Bell Creameries single serving Chocolate Chip Country Cookie Sandwich and the Great Divide Bar ice cream products collected by the South Carolina Department of Health & Environmental Control during routine product sampling at a South Carolina distribution center, on February 12, 2015. These products are manufactured at Blue Bell Creameries’ Brenham facility.

The Texas Department of State Health Services, subsequently, collected product samples from the Blue Bell Creameries Brenham facility. These samples yielded Listeria monocytogenes from the same products tested by South Carolina and a third single-serving ice cream product, Scoops, which is also made on the same production line.

According to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, hospital records available for four patients show that all were served ice cream from Blue Bell Creameries’ prepackaged, single-serving products and milkshakes made from these products. The hospital receives ice cream manufactured by Blue Bell Creameries, although it is not confirmed that the hospital receives ice cream only from the Brenham facility.

All five case patients are adults. Three deaths have been reported.

Blue Bell Creameries reports that it has removed the affected ice cream products from the market (see section below “What Products are Involved?”) by picking it up directly from the retailers and hospital settings it serves. The company has also shut down the production line where the products were made.

The FDA has moved quickly to investigate this issue and learn as much as possible to prevent additional people from becoming ill. We recognize that people will be concerned about these illnesses, and we will continue to provide updates and advice.

What are the Symptoms of Listeriosis?

Listeriosis is a rare but serious illness caused by eating food contaminated with the bacteria called Listeria monocytogenes. Anyone who experiences fever and muscle aches, sometimes preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms, or develops fever and chills after eating the ice cream should seek medical care and tell their health care provider about any history of eating the ice cream. Symptoms can appear from a few days up to a few weeks after consumption of the contaminated food.

Who is at Risk?

Listeriosis can be fatal, especially in certain high-risk groups. These groups include the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems and certain chronic medical conditions (such as cancer). In pregnant women, listeriosis can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, premature labor, and serious illness or death in newborn babies.

What Products Are Involved?

Blue Bell Creameries reports that the following products were removed from the market. This action includes only the products listed below and does not include Blue Bell cups, pints or half gallons.

Product NameProduct CodeChocolate Chip Country Cookie SKU # 196
Great Divide Bar SKU #108
Sour Pop Green Apple Bar SKU #221
Cotton Candy Bar SKU #216
Scoops SKU #117
Vanilla Stick Slices SKU #964
Almond Bars SKU #156
6 pack Cotton Candy Bars SKU #245
6 pack Sour Pop Green Apple Bars SKU #249
12 pack No Sugar Added Mooo Bars* SKU #343


*The regular Mooo Bars, available at grocery stores, are not subject to recall.

What Do Consumers Need To Do?

Consumers should not eat any of the products listed above. If these ice cream products are in your freezer, they should be thrown away, even if some of them have been eaten without anyone becoming ill.

Recommendations for preventing listeriosis are available at the CDC Listeria website: http://www.cdc.gov/listeria/prevention.html.

Listeria monocytogenes can grow at refrigerator temperatures, as low as 40 degrees Fahrenheit (4 degrees Celsius). The longer ready-to-eat refrigerated foods are stored in the refrigerator, the more opportunity Listeria has to grow.

For refrigerators and other food preparation surfaces and food cutting utensils that may have come in contact with the potentially contaminated ice cream, it is very important that the consumers thoroughly clean these areas
Wash the inside walls and shelves of the refrigerator, cutting boards and countertops; then sanitize them with a solution of one tablespoon of chlorine bleach to one gallon of hot water; dry with a clean cloth or paper towel that has not been previously used.

Consumers should follow these simple steps:
Wash hands with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds before and after handling food.
Wipe up spills in the refrigerator immediately and clean the refrigerator regularly.
Always wash hands with warm water and soap following the cleaning and sanitization process.

What Do Institutions and Retailers Need To Do?

Institutions and retailers should not sell or serve any products listed above. They should also take the following steps:
Wash and sanitize display cases and refrigerators where potentially contaminated products were stored.
Wash and sanitize cutting boards, surfaces, and utensils used to cut, serve, or store potentially contaminated products.
Wash hands with warm water and soap following the cleaning and sanitation process.
Retailers, restaurants, and other food service operators who have processed and packaged any potentially contaminated products need to be concerned about cross contamination of cutting surfaces and utensils through contact with the potentially contaminated products.
Regular frequent cleaning and sanitizing of cutting boards and utensils used in processing may help to minimize the likelihood of cross-contamination.

Listeria can grow at refrigeration temperatures. Retailers, restaurants, and other food service operators may wish to consider whether other foods available for sale could have been cross-contaminated from the potentially contaminated products, and should be discarded.

Who Should be Contacted?

The FDA encourages consumers with questions about food safety to call 1-888-SAFEFOOD Monday through Friday between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Eastern time, or to consult http://www.fda.gov.