title: Prevalence and Level of Listeria monocytogenes in Ice Cream Linked to a Listeriosis Outbreak in the United States.
abstract: A most-probable-number (MPN) method was used to enumerate Listeria monocytogenes in 2,320 commercial ice cream scoops manufactured on a production line that was implicated in a 2015 listeriosis outbreak in the United States. The analyzed samples were collected from seven lots produced in November 2014, December 2014, January 2015, and March 2015. L. monocytogenes was detected in 99% (2,307 of 2,320) of the tested samples (lower limit of detection, 0.03 MPN/g), 92% of which were contaminated at <20 MPN/g. The levels of L. monocytogenes in these samples had a geometric mean per lot of 0.15 to 7.1 MPN/g. The prevalence and enumeration data from an unprecedented large number of naturally contaminated ice cream products linked to a listeriosis outbreak provided a unique data set for further understanding the risk associated with L. monocytogenes contamination for highly susceptible populations.
authors.affiliation: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Office of Regulatory Science, College Park, Maryland 20740.
authors.forename: Y I
authors.initials: YI
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Office of Applied Research and Safety Assessment, Laurel, Maryland 20708, USA.
authors.forename: Laurel S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Burall
authors.affiliation: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Office of Regulatory Science, College Park, Maryland 20740.
authors.forename: Dumitru
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Macarisin
authors.affiliation: Office of Analytics and Outreach, College Park, Maryland 20740.
authors.forename: Régis
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pouillot
authors.affiliation: Office of Analytics and Outreach, College Park, Maryland 20740.
authors.forename: Errol
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Strain
authors.affiliation: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Office of Regulatory Science, College Park, Maryland 20740.
authors.forename: Antonio J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: DE Jesus
authors.affiliation: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Office of Regulatory Science, College Park, Maryland 20740.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Laasri
authors.affiliation: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Office of Regulatory Science, College Park, Maryland 20740.
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Office of Regulatory Science, College Park, Maryland 20740.
authors.forename: Laila
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ali
authors.affiliation: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Office of Regulatory Science, College Park, Maryland 20740.
authors.forename: Aparna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tatavarthy
authors.affiliation: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Office of Regulatory Science, College Park, Maryland 20740.
authors.forename: Guodong
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Office of Regulatory Science, College Park, Maryland 20740.
authors.forename: Lijun
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Office of Regulatory Science, College Park, Maryland 20740.
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Day
authors.affiliation: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Office of Applied Research and Safety Assessment, Laurel, Maryland 20708, USA.
authors.forename: Jihun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.affiliation: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Office of Applied Research and Safety Assessment, Laurel, Maryland 20708, USA.
authors.forename: Surasri
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sahu
authors.affiliation: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Office of Applied Research and Safety Assessment, Laurel, Maryland 20708, USA.
authors.forename: Devayani
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Srinivasan
authors.affiliation: Office of Analytics and Outreach, College Park, Maryland 20740.
authors.forename: Karl
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Klontz
authors.affiliation: Office of the Center Director, College Park, Maryland 20740.
authors.forename: Mickey
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Parish
authors.affiliation: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Office of Regulatory Science, College Park, Maryland 20740.
authors.forename: Peter S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.affiliation: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Office of Regulatory Science, College Park, Maryland 20740.
authors.forename: Eric W
authors.initials: EW
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.affiliation: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Office of Regulatory Science, College Park, Maryland 20740.
authors.forename: Thomas S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Hammack
authors.affiliation: Office of the Center Director, College Park, Maryland 20740.
authors.forename: Donald L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Zink
authors.affiliation: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Office of Applied Research and Safety Assessment, Laurel, Maryland 20708, USA.
authors.forename: Atin R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Datta
mesh_terms: D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D005506:Food Contamination; D005516:Food Microbiology; D007054:Ice Cream; D008089:Listeria monocytogenes; D008088:Listeriosis; D015995:Prevalence; D014481:United States
keywords: Enumeration; Ice cream; Listeriosis outbreak