GLENVIEW, Ill., Dec. 26 (UPI) -- New tests on Enfamil Premium baby formula confirm it is safe after a baby in Missouri died from contracting a rare bacterium, Mead Johnson Nutrition said.
Last week, Walmart said it was pulling Enfamil baby formula from its shelves nationwide as authorities in Missouri investigated the death of a 10-day-old infant from Lebanon, Mo.
Mead said in a release Sunday the new tests -- drawn from samples parallel to those being tested by public health officials and following the same methodology -- did not detect any presence of the Cronobacter sakazakii bacterium, which can cause a rare but often fatal infection.
These new results reaffirm the testing conducted before the batch was made available to retailers and consumers, said Mead, based in Glenview, Ill.
"Based on both sets of tests, Mead Johnson can say with confidence that Enfamil Premium Newborn formula, like every infant formula the company produces, is safe," the company said in the release.
The Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control are trying to determine the origin of Cronobacter sakazakii involved in the Missouri case and are expected to test several environmental sources. The company said it shared the results from its two tests with authorities.
Preliminary tests indicated the baby contracted the rare bacterium, which can come from powdered infant formula contaminated with the bacterium.
