N.B. listeriosis death linked to Maple Leaf Foods

An elderly woman who died recently in New Brunswick had listeriosis linked to the recall of meat products from a Maple Leaf Foods plant in Toronto.

Specimens taken from the woman have been matched to the same strain of listeria involved in the country-wide outbreak, the N.B. Health Department said in a statement.

The statement does not say whether the elderly woman died of listeria or whether it was a contributing factor in her death.

The woman, in her early 80s, had been living in a nursing home.

The death linked to listeria is the first case reported in New Brunswick since Maple Leaf Foods began a massive recall of deli meats due to fears of contamination.

Federal health officials say there are 16 confirmed deaths from a country-wide listeriosis outbreak linked to processed meats, not including the New Brunswick case.