An elderly man died in late September after eating raw sausages in Alessandria. And the latest tests suggest the 83-year-old man contracted Listeria meningitis.
Investigations are currently underway by the Zooprophylactic Institute, the NAS and the ASL to confirm the hypothesis and proceed with the hypotheses of crime to be registered. Listeria would therefore have claimed a fourth victim after the three people who died in December 2021, March 2022 and June 2022 between Piedmont, Lombardy and Emilia Romagna.
For the death of the fourth, at the end of September at the hospital of Alessandria, we are still waiting for the final confirmations from the results of the tests by the Zooprophylactic Institute of Piedmont, Liguria, Valle d'Aosta. The disease usually manifests itself with a gastrointestinal fever, but in some cases it can lead to serious invasive forms with septicemia, meningitis, encephalitis.
Meningitis struck the 83-year-old who died at the end of last month in Alessandria, after being admitted to the Neurology Department in Novi Ligure. At the request of his daughter, an epidemiological investigation was started and samples were taken of the foods ingested by the man who, in the days before being admitted, also ate raw sausages. The tests on the patient revealed a Listeria infection, but the typing of the strain taken in Novi is needed to confirm that it is the St 155 strain of Listeria.
The Public Prosecutor's Office is also working after receiving the report from the NAS, which the ASL itself had communicated for the continuation of competences. It is a matter of better understanding what happened to evaluate whether and which hypotheses of crime to register. However, this is not the first alarm. In 2018, some frozen products, in particular corn, mixed vegetables, spinach and green beans were involved in several cases of listeriosis, in some EU states.
He eats raw sausages and dies: the Prosecutor's Office has also opened an investigation
Typically, the foods in which it can be found are ready-made ones that do not require cooking before being consumed: sausages, soft or slightly matured cheeses, smoked fish, meat patés. In general, this bacterium is able to grow even at refrigerator temperatures, especially if not carefully managed, while it does not resist heat very well.
In the latest cases, poultry-based sausages produced by the Agricola Tre Valli company – IT 04 M CE have been put under accusation. Presence also confirmed by sampling carried out in the factory. The company has initiated all measures to protect the consumer with the withdrawal of the batches that tested positive (1785417 and 01810919) and, in application of the maximum precautionary principle, of all those produced before 12 September 2022.
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The main route of transmission for humans is, therefore, food and the ministry's invitation to consumers is to pay maximum attention to the correct methods of conservation, preparation and consumption.
As of the end of last month, a total of 66 clinical cases of listeriosis had been identified, and the deaths involved immunocompromised or particularly fragile subjects. Greater caution is therefore recommended for people over 65, pregnant women and newborns.
Article published on 5 October 2022 - 07:50
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