The State - News from Feb. 19, 1986

A pregnant woman was infected by Listeria bacteria from tainted Brie cheese, but she and her unborn child suffered no permanent damage from the illness, her doctor said in San Francisco. Dr. Charles Bookoff of Mt. Zion Hospital said his first clue was the length of time that Claire Uguex of San Rafael suffered the flu-like symptoms connected to Listeria infection. “Flu symptoms usually last two or three days,” Bookoff said, but when Uguex said she had been feeling ill for about a week, he suspected Listeria and ordered blood tests which confirmed the diagnosis. “She was lucky,” said Bookoff, who treated the illness with penicillin. The federal Food and Drug Administration has listed a number of brands of Brie suspected of carrying the Listeria bacteria, including the one that Uguex ate last week. Bookoff said he doesn’t know if the Listeria bacteria is the same strain as that connected with tainted Jalisco cheese that caused 39 deaths last year.