Listeriosis in Enterprise factory: 'It's everywhere'

07 March 2018 - 06:33
By Katharine Child
Businessman Phillip Sibia queues to return meat to the Enterprise Factory store in Germiston, east of Johannesburg on March 5 2018.
Image: Alaister Russell/The Sunday Times Businessman Phillip Sibia queues to return meat to the Enterprise Factory store in Germiston, east of Johannesburg on March 5 2018.

The number of listeria ST 6 samples found in the Enterprise Polokwane factory has jumped to 26 from 16, further strengthening the case that this Tiger Brands plant is to blame for the 180 listeria deaths.

On Sunday, Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi announced that Tiger Brands’ Enterprise factory was ground zero for the world’s deadliest outbreak. 

On Tuesday, scientists at the National Institute for Communicable Diseases completed analysing the DNA  of more samples from the factories equipment.  It takes about five days to do the various tests required to sequence the whole genome of the listeria bacteria.

Tiger Brands CEO  Lawrence MacDougall questioned his company’s culpability in its Monday press conference saying there was “no direct link” between his factory and the deaths.

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