Kimberly-Clark has announced the recall of a number of Kotex brand tampon lots because of contamination with potentially life-threatening Enterobacter sakazakii.
The recall is for Kotex Natural Balance Security Regular Unscented Tampons and is limited to two carton codes (SKUs) -- 15063 (18 count) and 15068 (36 count).
E. sakazakii bacterium may cause vaginal infections, urinary tract infections, pelvic inflammatory disease, and other potentially life-threatening infections, according to a company statement.
Women who are pregnant, those who are HIV-positive, and those with cancer or other serious existing conditions are at increased risk, the statement continued.
The affected lots were distributed from Oct. 29, 2011 to Nov. 2, 2011 to select Walmart stores in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, and Texas. Also, to select Fry's stories in Arizona and select Smith's stores in Utah and Arizona. All the stores have been alerted to remove the recalled lots from shelves.
Kimberly-Clark has not received any adverse event reports to date, the company stated.
Women who experience symptoms of unusual vaginal discharge, rash, fever, headache, vomiting, or abdominal pain after using Kotex Natural Balance Security Regular Unscented Tampons should contact a healthcare professional immediately.
A full list of affected lot numbers is available in the company .
The recall brings to mind the cases of toxic shock syndrome caused by contaminated Proctor & Gamble Rely tampons in 1980. However, toxic shock syndrome in those cases was caused by Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes.