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January 17, 2008

Bacteria found at Mass. milk plant linked to deaths

BOSTON -- Listeria has been found in 16 of more than 100 tests done at a Shrewsbury milk processing plant that was identified as the source of a deadly outbreak of the bacteria.

Public health officials say one environmental swab, one skim milk sample and seven flavored milk samples from a Whittier Farms dairy tested positive for the same strain of listeria found in four of the five cases linked to this outbreak. Seven samples tested positive for a different strain.

Three elderly men have died since last June after drinking bacteria-contaminated milk from the plant.

The test results do not pinpoint where the contamination of the milk occurred, but suggest it took place during the production process.

The environmental swab that tested positive was taken from the floor near a homogenizer.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Brandie Jefferson  at 12:26 PM | Permalink

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joe | January 17, 2008 12:58 PM link

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