The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention warned residents Friday to avoid purchasing or using certain Abbott Nutrition powdered infant formulas after a U.S. Food and Drug Administration investigation linked contaminated formula to at least four cases of illness in infants.

None of the reported cases is in Maine, but some of the affected formula was distributed to the state, the CDC said in a news release.

The powdered infant formulas have the potential to be contaminated with Cronobacter, a bacterium that can cause severe foodborne illness, primarily in infants, it said. Cronobacter infections are rare but are especially high-risk for newborn infants.

All of the cases reportedly stem from Abbott Nutrition’s facility in Sturgis, Michigan, the CDC said. There have been three reports of Cronobacter infections and one report of Salmonella. All four infants were hospitalized, and Cronobacter may have contributed to one death, it said.

The FDA advised consumers not to use Similac, Alimentum or EleCare formulas if the first two digits of the code are 22 through 37, the code on the container contains K8, SH, or Z2, and the expiration date is April 1, 2022, or later. The code is printed on the product packaging near the expiration date, it said.

Consumers who purchased formula with these codes should stop using it and dispose of it or return it for a refund.

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