Listeria Definition, Signs & Treatment: Dole Salad Recalled After a Possible Outbreak Caused 1 Death, Sickened 12

The Center for Disease Control has traced the cause of a possible outbreak of Listeria which left one dead and twelve others sick.

According to the CDC website, Listeria is an infection which is caused by eating foods that have been contaminated by the Listeria monocytogenes bacteria. The bacteria is commonly found in fresh vegetables as well as ice cream and cheese.

The disease commonly infects those who have weakened immune systems such as the elderly, infants, and pregnant women. However, the disease can infect others in rare cases.

Common symptoms of Listeria can include but are not restricted to flu like symptoms such as muscle aches and fever, often preceded by frequent diarrhea and other stomach ailments.

The CDC warns that, if not treated immediately, those who have contracted the disease will show signs of massive infection as the bacteria will quickly reproduce past the stomach area.

Treatment of the disease is the intake of antibiotics which could cause problems especially for pregnant women as the patients must access if the antibiotics will harm the unborn child.

NBC News is reporting that the latest cases of Listeria were reported across several states including: Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Massachusetts.

The CDC reports that the bag's origins have been traced to a plant in Springfield, Ohio. According to the CDC, the plant has since ceased operations since Jan. 21, 2016 and an investigation is underway to find the root cause.

The news of the outbreaks began last July, 2015 and the CDC began its investigation on the origin back in Sept. However, it was not until recently that the origins were discovered after lab tests of the salad bags revealed that the Springfield Plant maybe at fault.

However, it is confirmed that the CDC has not found another forms or cases of Listeria from the other Dole Plants located around the United States.

To know if a salad bag has come from the Springfield plant, the CDC states that those bags that have a letter 'A' at the start of their manufacturing codes are the ones in question.

The salad products that could be infected include Dole, Fresh Selections, Simple Truth, Marketside, The Little Salad Bar, and President's Choice. If a salad bag is found with the brand and manufacturing codes stated above customers are advised not to attempt to eat the product and simply throw it away.