Bacteria Tied to Baby’s Death Linked to Formula Since 1980s
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The rod-shaped bacteria that killed a Missouri infant this month have infected at least 120 infants worldwide since 1958 and have been linked to the use of baby formula in the past, public-health researchers say.
The potential for the bacteria, called Cronobacter, to infect infants through powdered baby formula has only been known since the 1980s, said Kieran Jordan, a microbiologist at the Moorepark Food Research Centre of Ireland’s Agriculture and Food Development Authority, in a telephone interview. Cronobacter ends up in powdered formula because it is well adapted at surviving in very dry environments, he said.