Health Highlights: April 10, 2009

April 11 -- Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors of HealthDay:

Sprouts Recalled After Positive Test for Listeria: Report

Sprouts processed by a Connecticut-based company have been recalled after a sample in New York City tested positive for the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes, which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in vulnerable people, the Hartford Courant reported Friday.

The sprouts, from Bridgeport's Amalgamated Produce Inc., were sold at Stop & Shop, ShopRite and Price Chopper stores in Connecticut, the newspaper said. As of Thursday, no illnesses had been reported in the state, the Courant said.

Sold under various brand names, the sprouts have a "sell by" date of March 31 through April 27, and are packaged in 4-ounce plastic containers, the Courant reported. Also recalled were 8-ounce Nature's Promise organic alfalfa sprouts and 5-pound bags of alfalfa sprouts, the newspaper said.

Consumers who bought the sprouts should discard the packages or return them to the place of purchase for a refund, Connecticut Commissioner of Consumer Protection Jerry Farrell Jr. told the Courant.

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Boston Hospital Performs U.S.'s 2nd Partial-Face Transplant

Surgeons at Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital performed the nation's 2nd partial-face transplant, a 17-hour operation to replace a man's nose, palate, upper lip, some skin, muscles and nerves, after a freak accident had disfigured him, the Associated Press reported Friday.

Hospital spokesman Kevin Myron said the man's injuries occurred several years ago and left him with difficulty speaking, eating and drinking. The skin and organs came from a donor who had agreed to help other patients as well, according to the AP.

Plastic surgeon Dr. Bohdan Pomahac, who led the surgical team, said the man had "no teeth, no palate, no nose, no lip," according to the AP. The transplant recipient, whose name was not released, was still recovering Friday. The donor's name was also withheld.