Deadly Listeria Outbreak Probed

Federal health officials are investigating a listeria food poisoning outbreak in nine states that has killed four people and sickened 35. The prime suspects are hot dogs and cold cuts, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta confirmed. Officials would not confirm which brands or manufacturer were under suspicion. Listeria is a bacterium that healthy people often fight off with no more than flu-like symptoms. But it also can kill through meningitis or blood infection. Cases are under investigation in Oregon, Ohio, New York, Tennessee, Massachusetts, Michigan, West Virginia, Connecticut and Vermont.