An outbreak of listeria in the US linked to cheese has killed one person and sickened three newborns.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday the death was in California. Seven additional illnesses were in Maryland.
All the Maryland victims reported eating soft or semi-soft Hispanic-style cheese they bought at different locations of the same grocery chain. Listeria was later detected in a sample of Caujada en Terron, or fresh cheese curd, purchased at the chain.
The CDC withheld the name of the business, as they often do in investigations.
The agency said the cheese was "likely produced by" Roos Foods of Kenton, Delaware, and repackaged by the grocery store chain.
The Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is warning people not to eat any cheeses produced byRoos Foods.
Roos Foods cheese is sold under brand names Santa Rosa de Lima, Amigo, Mexicana, Suyapa, La Chapina, and La Purisima Crema Nica.
Three of the illnesses were in newborns and two were mothers of two of the ill newborns, the CDC said. It is unclear if the death was one of the newborns.
Listeria is a serious illness that includes fever and muscle aches, often with other gastrointestinal symptoms. It is especially dangerous to pregnant women because it easily passes through to the foetus.
