Listeria monocytogenes Illness and Deaths Associated With Ongoing Contamination of a Multiregional Brand of Ice Cream Products, United States, 2010–2015
Clinical Infectious Diseases·
- DOI
- 10.1093/cid/ciac550
- PMID
- 35797187
- PMCID
- PMC10201537
- OpenAlex
- W4284666467
- Study type
- Outbreak investigation
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Article type
- journal-article
- Integrity
- current
Why this research matters now
The investigation highlights that Listeria contamination of frozen foods such as ice cream can cause prolonged, geographically distributed outbreaks, and supports calls for comprehensive sanitation controls, environmental and product testing, and regulatory oversight in ice cream production.
Structured evidence summary
Research question
The study investigates an outbreak of listeriosis in the United States associated with ongoing contamination of a multiregional brand of ice cream products.
Study design
It is described as an outbreak investigation combining case identification via whole-genome sequencing, product and environmental testing, review of hospital records and invoices, and molecular subtyping.
Population and setting
Cases of listeriosis were identified across multiple US states, with initial clustering in a Kansas hospital and additional cases linked through product testing in South Carolina and a Texas production facility, later extending to a second production facility in Oklahoma.
Main findings
Ten listeriosis illnesses, including three deaths, were identified from 2010 through 2015. WGS linked patient isolates from four cases to Company A ice cream products, and patient isolates from five additional cases to products from a second Company A facility. All four patients with documented exposures had consumed milkshakes made with the implicated ice cream while hospitalized, and Company A ultimately recalled all products.
Public-health relevance
The investigation highlights that Listeria contamination of frozen foods such as ice cream can cause prolonged, geographically distributed outbreaks, and supports calls for comprehensive sanitation controls, environmental and product testing, and regulatory oversight in ice cream production.
Important limitations
No explicit limitations are stated in the abstract. This summary is limited to the supplied single-article abstract and metadata and requires review of the original paper for decision-grade interpretation.
GIDS interpretation
The article is cataloged under outbreak investigation and environmental topics related to listeriosis, suggesting it may inform environmental sampling and food-production contexts for surveillance signal development.
Related GIDS surveillance
Literature context does not validate, explain, or change a surveillance signal. Exact and contextual relationships are shown separately.
Evidence relationships
This article has 6 auditable classifier relationships to diseases, places, topics, and study design.