BY The Associated Press
COLUMBUS -- Two northwest Ohioans and a fetus were killed by a strain of bacteria believed to have come from tainted meat such as hot dogs and cold cuts, the Health Department said Thursday.
The victims of the strain called listeria were elderly people in Lucas County.
The Wood County woman who carried the fetus was not stricken, said spokeswoman Jane Beathard.
Another victim was from the Rochester, N.Y., area.
Nationally, 40 people became sick, causing a recall this week of meat processed at a Michigan plant.
In Ohio, in addition to the deaths, 10 cases were reported: two each in Cuyahoga, Franklin and Montgomery counties; and one each in Lorain, Madison, Ross and Tuscarawas counties, Ms. Beathard said.
She would not provide any other information, citing patient confidentiality.
The last case in Ohio was reported Nov. 23, about two months after the first.
Listeria's incubation period can last from two to 70 days, said Dr. Elizabeth Koch, the state's acting epidemiologist.
About 1,800 cases of food poisoning caused by listeria are reported annually in the United States.
Ohio averages about 27 cases a year, Ms. Koch said.
Listeria can live in soil, water and animals.
It can be transferred to people through raw vegetables, dairy products or uncooked meat.
It survives refrigeration and freezing, but can be destroyed by cooking and proper food handling.
Healthy people usually can fight off the bacterium with no more than flu-like symptoms. But listeria can kill and cause meningitis or blood infection.
Those most at risk are pregnant women, who can pass the strain along to their fetuses; newborns; the elderly; and those whose immune systems are vulnerable.
"The good part is that most of the general population is not at risk even if they come in contact with it," Ms. Koch said.
Sara Lee Corp. announced Tuesday that it is recalling meat processed at the company's Bil Mar Foods division in Zeeland, Mich., because it may be tainted by listeria bacteria. Sara Lee said it is cooperating with investigators from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The CDC was waiting for the results of tests to determine whether meat processed at the Michigan plant was the source of the outbreak of the strain, known as Pattern E.
