AGRICULTURE REPORT - Listeria Outbreak

AGRICULTURE REPORT — November 19, 2002: Listeria Outbreak

By Mario Ritter

This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.

Last month, news media reported that people in the northeastern United States were getting sick from eating
some processed meats. Health officials reported that a form of food poisoning called listeria was making people
sick. They discovered that meats processed at a factory in the state of Pennsylvania contained that bacteria. At
least forty cases of food poisoning have been reported. At least seven deaths have been blamed on listeria.

The meat-processing company ordered stores to remove more than twelve-million kilograms of processed meats.
The products were cooked chicken and turkey meats. It was the largest food recall¹ in American history.

The recall shows that people who prepare meats for sale must be very careful. It does not matter if the meat is
prepared in a factory or on a farm. People need to observe simple rules for preparing meats.

In the case of the meat-processing company, listeria bacteria were first found on equipment that moves products.
Then the bacteria were found in other parts of the factory.

The bacteria generally spread through the waste products of animals and from animal to animal. Often, animals
used for meat are processed in conditions that permit listeria to infect them. Only a few infected animals are
needed to spread listeria to processing equipment. Once dirty equipment carries the bacteria, it can spread to meat
products throughout a factory. That appears to be what happened in Pennsylvania.

Listeria is most dangerous to pregnant² women and their fetuses³, children, and people who are already seriously
sick. It can travel from the intestinal⁴ system to the blood and can infect the brain in some cases.

The United States Food and Drug administration⁵ and the Department of Agriculture have published studies on
listeria. The reports say that more than one-thousand-five hundred people are infected by listeria every year in
America. Studies say about four-hundred people die from it each year.

The best way to prevent listeria is to carefully clean equipment and surfaces where meat, eggs and milk products
are prepared. People at risk should avoid uncooked meats or milk products that have not been heated to destroy
bacteria. Cooking food completely destroys listeria.

This VOA Special English Agriculture Report was written by Mario Ritter.

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1 recall   

n.回忆，召回，取消；vt.回想起，召回，与...相似，恢复

参考例句：

• As you may recall, he was in the army then.你可能记得当时他正在从军。
• We demand that you recall your army from our border.我们要求你们撤回在我们边境的部队。

2 pregnant   

adj.怀孕的，怀胎的

参考例句：

• She is a pregnant woman.她是一名孕妇。
• She is pregnant with her first child.她怀了第一胎。

3 fetuses   

n.胎，胎儿( fetus的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• DNA was extracted from fetuses at mid-gestation, about 10 days past conception. DNA从受孕大约10天后的中期妊娠胚胎中提取。 来自互联网
• Brucellosis is a disease that causes fetuses to abort in cattle. 普鲁士菌病是一种可以导致牲畜胎儿夭折的疾病。 来自互联网

4 intestinal   

adj.肠的；肠壁；肠道细菌

参考例句：

• A few other conditions are in high intestinal obstruction. 其它少数情况是高位肠梗阻。 来自辞典例句
• This complication has occasionally occurred following the use of intestinal antiseptics. 这种并发症偶而发生在使用肠道抗菌剂上。 来自辞典例句

5 administration   

n.经营，管理；行政，行政机关，管理部门

参考例句：

• Who is in charge of the administration of your company?你们公司的行政工作由谁负责？
• The teachers are responsible to the school administration.教师向学校行政负责。