New York

CT Resident Killed in Listeria Outbreak Linked to NY Creamery, CDC Says

Several of Vulto Creamery's raw milk cheeses were recalled Wednesday due to listeria contamination

What to Know

  • The death of a Connecticut resident has been linked to a listeria outbreak connected to cheese from a New York creamery, the CDC says
  • Vulto Creamery's soft raw milk Ouleout cheese was identified as the liekly source of the listeria outbreak
  • Listeria, a rare, but serious illness, can cause muscle aches, and diarrhea or fever and chills while pregnant

A Connecticut resident's death has been linked to a listeria outbreak connected to cheese from a New York creamery.

Soft raw milk cheeses made by Vulto Creamery was identified as the likely cause of the outbreak, the Center for Disease Control said Thursday.

The outbreak strain, listeria monocytogenes, was found in leftover Ouleout cheese collected from the deceased person's home, the Connecticut Department of Health said.

There have been six confirmed cases of listeria monocytogenes in Connecticut, Florida, New York and Vermont since September 1, 2016. The people sickened by the cheese range in age frmo 0 to 89.

All six people who contracted the illness reported eating various types of Vulto's soft cheeses about a month before showing symptoms, the CDC said. The cheeses were sold at stores where at least five of the ill people purchased it from before getting sick. 

Two of the six cases have been fatal, including residents from Connecticut and Vermont. One of the reported illnesses was in a newborn.

Vulto Creamery recalled all of its soft washed-rind raw milk cheeses Tuesday after the Food and Drug Administration tested the Ouleout cheese positive for Listeria. The raw milk cheeses recalled were Ouleout, Miranda, Heinennellie and Willowemoc cheeses.

The FDA found Ouleout lot number 617 positive for Listeria monocytogenes, and New York Department of Agriculture and Markets found the possible contamination of Ouleout lot number 623, said the FDA.

FDA advised consumers to not eat the cheese items being recalled. The agency also cautioned restaurants not to serve the cheese and for retailers to avoid selling soft raw milk cheeses made by the Walton, New York creamery.

The cheesemaker distributed soft raw milk cheeses nationwide, with most sold at retail locations in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic States, California, Chicago, Portland and Washington D.C., according to the FDA.

Listeria monocytogenes is a bacterium which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, pregnant women and others with weakened immune systems.

Consumers can return the cheeses to the purchase location for a refund. 

For more information, consumers can call 607-222-3995 on Monday-Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. EST, or email Vulto Creamery at vultocreamer@gmail.com

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