Babies sickened by bacteria sometimes found in formula

ST. LOUIS — The dangerous bacteria that sparked powdered formula recalls and shortages last year has infected two babies this year, killing a Kentucky child and causing brain damage in a Missouri infant.

Federal health officials confirmed Thursday that two cases of invasive infections caused by cronobacter sakazakii have been reported in 2023, both in infants who consumed powdered infant formula made by Abbott Nutrition, the company at the center of the 2022 crisis.

Food and Drug Administration officials said there was no evidence that the infections were linked to manufacturing and no reason to issue new recalls. The bacteria are found naturally in the environment and also can make their way into infant formula after the packaging is opened.

“There is no indication of a broader public health concern related to this product at this time,” the FDA said in a statement.

Kentucky health officials notified the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Nov. 15 that a child who consumed Similac Total Care powdered formula died after being infected with cronobacter sakazakii.

In Missouri, 6-week-old Mira White, of Sikeston, was diagnosed in early March with a brain infection caused by the bacteria, which was detected in an open container of Similac NeoSure formula in her home.

The same type of bacteria led federal investigators to shut down an Abbott formula plant in Sturgis, Michigan, last year when inspections sparked by four infant illnesses, including two deaths, showed widespread contamination in the plant.

Since falling ill, Mira has suffered nearly constant seizures and inconsolable bouts of crying, said her 33-year-old mother, Asian Davis. Brain scans showed neurological damage and missing tissue caused by the infection.

FDA investigators said they “did not identify a causal link” between Mira’s infection and the Casa Grande, Arizona, factory that made the formula marketed for premature babies. Abbott officials said they found no cronobacter in batches of formula at the plant.

MICHAEL THOMAS / AP Asian Davis, 33, of Sikeston, Mo., cradles her daughter, who suffers from the effects of a brain infection, in St. Louis, on Oct. 3.