CDC links ice cream brand Big Olaf Creamery to deadly listeria outbreak

A Florida ice cream company has been tied to a multi-state outbreak of listeria, spawning a lawsuit from the family of a woman who died.

Big Olaf Creamery was allegedly the source of the dangerous bacteria that can cause food poisoning, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Twenty-two other people from ten states have been sickened by Listeria monocytogenes infections, according to the CDC.

The family of Mary Billman — an Illinois woman who died from a listeria infection 11 days after eating contaminated ice cream — filed a federal lawsuit against the Sarasota-based company on Tuesday.

The ice cream is only sold in Florida and the bulk of cases have been reported in the Sunshine State. Patients who lived outside Florida reported traveling to the state shortly before getting ill, the CDC said.

Out of 17 people interviewed by the agency, 14 reported eating ice cream in Florida and six people specifically remembered eating Big Olaf Creamery ice cream or eating in places where it could have been served.

In addition to Billman’s death, all of the patients but one were hospitalized with severe symptoms, and one pregnant woman lost her fetus, officials said. The outbreak started in January and continued through June, according to the CDC.

The ice cream company has maintained that the feds are only speculating the outbreak is tied to their product, as it cooperated with authorities.

“We have been transparent and have answered all their questions and provided them with all the information requested from us, as the health and well being of the public is our first priority,” Big Olaf Creamery said in a statement.

Listeria symptoms can start anywhere from a day to a month after eating contaminated food. The deadly bacteria causes fever, muscle aches, nausea and diarrhea, and is especially dangerous to pregnant women, newborns and the elderly.

With AP wires