Listeriosis outbreak linked to sliced deli Turkey. (Pregnant Women at Increased Risk).

Sliced turkey deli meat may be harboring the strain of Listeria responsible for an outbreak of listeriosis in the northeastern United States that began this summer and is continuing into the fall, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.

As a precaution, the CDC has issued a health alert warning at-risk individuals--including elderly people, pregnant women, newborns, and persons with compromised immune systems--either to avoid food from deli counters or to thoroughly heat deli meats before eating them.

To date, 44 people in seven states have become ill from the same strain of the food-borne bacteria Listeria monocytogenes, including 14 patients in Pennsylvania, 14 in New York, 4 in New Jersey, 4 in Delaware, 2 in Maryland, and 1 each in Connecticut and Michigan, the CDC says.

The outbreak has led to seven deaths and three miscarriages or stillbirths in pregnant woman, the CDC reported.

Although deli turkey is the leading suspect food based on collected data analyses, federal, state, and local health officials have yet to identify the brand or brands of the product involved or its origin.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service's continuing investigation into the cause of a Northeast outbreak of L. monocytogenes resulted in detection of the bacteria in a facility owned by Pilgrim's Pride Corp., doing business as Wampler Foods Inc. in Franconia, Pa. The strain found in a product sample taken at the facility that tested positive for L. monocytogenes does not match the strain common to outbreak victims.

Nonetheless, the company is voluntarily recalling approximately 27.4 million pounds of fresh and frozen ready-to-eat turkey and chicken products that may be contaminated with L. ...