This illustration depicts a three-dimensional (3D) computer-generated image of a grouping of Listeria monocytogenes bacteria. The artistic recreation was based upon scanning electron microscopic (SEM) imagery.
What is listeria? (2015)
01:20 - Source: CNN

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Bonduelle USA says it's recalling frozen corn that has the potential to be contaminated

There have been no reported illnesses in connection with the frozen cut corn

CNN  — 

Bonduelle USA says it’s recalling more than 9,000 cases of frozen corn that could be contaminated with listeria.

The recall involves frozen cut corn distributed in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Massachusetts, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, Florida, Mississippi and Louisiana, according to a statement on the FDA website.

“The company has not received any complaints in relation to this product and is not aware of any illnesses associated with the product to date,” Bonduelle USA said Monday.

The recall of 9,335 cases comes after a product tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes in Tennessee, the statement said. The company has stopped distributing the product and is investigating with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to determine what caused the problem, the statement said.

Four labels involved in recall

The recall applies to the following products, according to the statement:

• 16-ounce packages of Wylwood Super Sweet Whole Kernel Corn, UPC 051933002401, Codes: Best By June 2017 K51564 and K51574

• 16-ounce packages of Market Basket Cut Corn, UPC 049705693414, Code: Best By June 2017 K51574

• 40-ounce packages of Bountiful Harvest Whole Kernel Cut Corn, UPC 822486120597, Code: Best By June 2017 K51574

• 2.5-pound packages of West Creek Frozen Vegetables Cut Corn, UPC 00806795285239 Code: Best By June 2017 K51574

What is listeria?

Listeria: What is it, how do you get it, and what’s the risk?

Listeria monocytogenes is a hardy bacterium that is resistant to extreme hot and cold. This bacterium is pathogenic, meaning that it is infectious to humans, causing the illness listeriosis.

Listeriosis primarily affects the elderly, pregnant women, newborns and people with weakened immune systems. In the United States, an estimated 1,600 people become seriously ill each year. About 16% of those illnesses result in death.

About 800 cases of Listeria infection are diagnosed each year in the United States, along with three or four outbreaks of listeria-associated food-borne illness.

Earlier this year, Blue Bell Creameries shut down all four of its plants for cleaning and improvements after a listeria outbreak. Three people died and seven others fell ill, health officials have said.

Between 1998 and June 2009, 48 deaths from listeria-caused illnesses were reported by the CDC’s Foodborne Outbreak Online Database.

CNN’s Ed Payne, Debra Goldschmidt and Dave Alsup contributed to this report.