MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Goat cheese sparks listeriosis scare in Santiago de Chile

A listeriosis scare broke out in Santiago del Chile when food sanitary officials ordered the withdrawal of a certain type and brand of cheese and the manufacturer sent a release to the different supermarket chains claiming that the decision was “only preventive”.

Following a case of listeriosis in metropolitan Santiago that apparently had consumed "Brie Lescure" cheese from the Chevrita company, Metropolitan sanitary authorities ordered the product to be cleared from store shelves while epidemiologic lab tests were done on some samples taken at random. Chevrita in the release points out that the possible relation of the "listeriosis" case with the Brie Lescure cheese still has to be proved and the sanitary decision was "only preventive". Although the company admits that authorities have ordered the lab tests, it also points out that the listeriosis case person consumed the special brand of cheese "as well as other foods, it was not the only consumption". Chevrita insists that all its dairy products are elaborated with pasteurized milk and the listeria bacteria can't survive such process in normal conditions. Therefore cheese samples are being lab tested and only once the results are made available can it be confirmed the possibility of links and the necessary measures. According to Chevrita the withdrawal of goods from the shelves is a normal procedure when the health of humans is involved. Finally the company requests supermarkets to wait for the official results from the Health Ministry before taking any drastic action. Chevrita according to the Santiago press began operations in 1994 and is the only dairy company certified to produce and export goat milk products. It has an annual production of 260 tons of goat cheese and has a daily reception between 5.000 and 7.000 litres of milk. Listeriosis is described as a bacterial infection caused by a gram-positive, motile bacterium, Listeria monocytogenes. Listeriosis is relatively rare and occurs primarily in newborn infants, elderly patients, and patients who are immuno-compromised. In veterinary medicine, however, listerioris can be a quite common condition in some farm outbreaks. It can also be found in wild animals The main route of acquisition of Listeria is through the ingestion of contaminated food products. Listeria has been isolated from raw meat, dairy products, vegetables, and seafood. Soft cheeses, un-pasteurized milk and un-pasteurised paté are potential dangers; however, some outbreaks involving post-pasteurized milk have been reported.