title: Role of foods in sporadic listeriosis. I. Case-control study of dietary risk factors. The Listeria Study Group.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To identify dietary risk factors for sporadic listeriosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Case-control study with blinded telephone interviews.
  
  
  METHODS
  Multistate population of 18 million persons, November 1988 through December 1990.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred sixty-five patients with culture-confirmed listeriosis and 376 control subjects matched for age, health care provider, and immunosuppressive condition.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The annual incidence of invasive listeriosis was 7.4 cases per million population; 23% of the infections were fatal. Cases were more likely than matched controls to have eaten soft cheeses (odds ratio [OR], 2.6; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.4 to 4.8; P = .002) or food purchased from store delicatessen counters (OR, 1.6; 95% CI, 1.0 to 2.5; P = .04); 32% of sporadic disease could be attributed to eating these foods. Sixty-nine percent of cases in men and nonpregnant women occurred in cancer patients, persons with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, organ transplant recipients, or those receiving corticosteroid therapy. Among these immunosuppressed patients, eating undercooked chicken also increased the risk of listeriosis (OR, 3.3; 95% CI, 1.2 to 9.2; P = .02).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Foodborne transmission may account for a substantial portion of sporadic listeriosis. Prevention efforts should include dietary counseling of high-risk patients and continued monitoring of food production.
authors.affiliation: Meningitis and Special Pathogens Branch, Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, Ga 30333.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schuchat
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Deaver
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Wenger
authors.forename: B D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Plikaytis
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mascola
authors.forename: R W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Pinner
authors.forename: A L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Reingold
authors.forename: C V
authors.initials: CV
authors.lastname: Broome
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005502:Food; D005516:Food Microbiology; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008089:Listeria monocytogenes / Q000302:isolation & purification; D008088:Listeriosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology