A listeria outbreak traced to a specific brand of enoki mushrooms has killed four people and hospitalized 30 more in a multi-state outbreak, prompting a recall.
The mushrooms in question were sold under the brand name Sun Hong Foods, Inc., and are labeled as a “Product of Korea.” According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, they’ve been linked to 36 reported cases of listeriosis across 17 states, with deaths reported in California, Hawaii and New Jersey.
The figure includes six pregnant women who became ill, two of whom miscarried, the CDC said.
People who bought this brand of enoki mushrooms shouldn’t eat them and should instead throw them out or return them to the store for a refund. The CDC also advises people to wash and sanitize wherever the mushrooms were stored in their refrigerator via these five steps.
Listeriosis often presents in pregnant women with a fever and flu-like symptoms; in others, symptoms include headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions, in addition to fever and muscle aches.
Symptoms typically begin between one to four weeks after exposure, according to the CDC. Infections can be treated with antibiotics.
“Consumers are warned not to [eat the mushrooms] even if they do not look or smell spoiled,” the Food and Drug Administration warned in a recall notice.
The CDC also advises people ordering or eating out to make sure any enoki mushrooms they’re served are not among those being recalled.
“If they don’t know where their enoki mushrooms are from, don’t buy or order the product,” the agency advises.