U.S.: bacteria-laced milk kills 3, woman miscarries

U.S.: bacteria-laced milk kills 3, woman miscarries
The fifth-generation owners of Whittier Farms are proud of their Holstein cows, still deliver milk in glass bottles to front doors, and customers enjoy their products because they are a hormone-free taste of old New England.
But U.S. health officials now say three elderly men have died and at least one pregnant woman has miscarried since last June after drinking bacteria-contaminated milk from the dairy's plant in Shrewsbury, about 35 miles west of Boston.
All were infected with listeria, which is extremely rare in pasteurized milk. It is more often found in raw foods, such as uncooked meat and vegetables, and processed foods such as soft cheeses and cold cuts.
The outbreak is believed to be only the third time listeria has ever been linked to pasteurized milk in the United States, said Dr. Alfred DeMaria, state director of communicable disease control. A 1983 outbreak in Boston that was believed to have been caused by pasteurized milk led to 14 deaths.
"We know something is going on; we just don't know what it is," DeMaria said. "We just need to find out how the bacteria is getting into the milk."
Listeria bacteria are often present in manure and are commonly found in soil and water. Pasteurization is supposed to kill listeria. Tests at the Whittier Farms plant found nothing wrong with its pasteurization process.
Health investigators are now looking at the cooling and bottling machinery, including the connecting pipes, for the source of the bacteria, DeMaria said. Investigators have taken about 70 samples from vents, ceilings, floors, tanks, bottle-washers, bottles and other equipment.
Brian Gay, owner of Maple Farm Dairy, has distributed Whittier's milk for about a decade and said many of his customers were shocked by the outbreak. Some canceled their service, Gay said, but most seem willing to return to Whittier when the milk is deemed safe.