CDC links tainted cheese to 14 illnesses, one death.

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The Wall Street Journal (9/13, Tomson, Subscription Publication) reports that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has linked 14 illnesses and at least one fatality to imported ricotta cheese tainted with listeria bacteria.

        According to USA Today (9/13, Weise), "Three deaths have been reported among those who were sickened but so far listeria has been confirmed as a contributing factor in only one of those"; and the CDC "did not say where the death occurred." The cheese was sold in "California, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington."

        The AP (9/13) adds that the Food and Drug Administration "identified the outbreak strain of Listeria monocytogenes bacteria in an uncut sample" of the "imported Italian ricotta salata cheese distributed by Forever Cheese Inc., of New York." Forever Cheese issued a recall Monday for "one lot -- 800 wheels of ricotta salata, or roughly 4,800 pounds." Jeff DiMeo of Forever Cheese "said the recalled Frescolina brand ricotta salata cheese is from one batch manufactured in Italy's Puglia region but would not name the Italian company that manufactured it."

        NBC News (9/13, Aleccia) in its "Vitals" blog reports that the Federal agencies are "working with the firm and with health authorities to make sure the products are removed from market." The Baltimore Sun (9/13, Cohn) notes that the "lot number for the recalled product is T9425 and the production code is 441202," according to the FDA.

        The Seattle Times (9/13, Vaughn) in its "The Today File" blog notes that the FDA said Wednesday that "all 'sell by' dates through Oct. 2 may be carrying the organism, which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, the elderly, and those with weakened immune systems."

        HealthDay (9/13, Mundell) reports that all "14 of the people who became sick required hospitalization, with diagnoses ranging from late March to late August of this year. Four of the illnesses were tied to a pregnancy, and two of those cases occurred in newborns. The other 10 patients ranged from 56 to 87 years of age." WebMD (9/13, DeNoon) adds that Forever Cheese said the imported Italian cheese was sold to "restaurants and retailers...between June 20 and Aug. 9."

        The Food Safety News (9/13, Flynn) reports that according to the CDC, the "number of ill persons identified in each state is as follows: California (1), Colorado (1), District of Columbia (1), Maryland (3), Minnesota (1), Nebraska (1), New Jersey (1), New Mexico (1), New York (1), Ohio (1), Pennsylvania (1) and Virginia (1)."