<p>State agriculture officials are requesting that packages of smoked sausage be pulled from store shelves after food scientists found a potentially harmful bacteria inside a sample.</p><p>Listeria monocytogenes, a species of bacteria that can cause illness, was found in a sample of Roger Wood Preferred Recipe Beef Smoked Sausage, Agriculture Commissioner Tommy Irvin said in a statement Saturday. The 16-ounce package was marked 469D "Sell by May 13, 2005."</p><p>Irvin said the company, based in Savannah, Ga., has notified stores to remove the sausage from shelves and that anyone who purchased the product may return it for a refund.</p><p>Listeriosis, the disease caused by the bacteria, primarily affects pregnant women, newborns, and adults with weakened immune systems, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.</p><p>Symptoms include fever, muscle aches and sometimes diarrhea and nausea. About 2,500 become seriously ill with the disease each year and 500 die.</p><p>____</p><p>On the Net:</p><p>HASH(0x2866490)</p><p>HASH(0x2866538)</p>
