Home Made Brand Foods of Newburyport has pulled 5,000 pounds of “Ready-to-Eat Tuna Salad” after the company found out that two of its tuna salad might have been contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, a bacterium that can cause flu-like symptoms or turn fatal in some cases.

The manifestations of listeriosis include septicemia, meningitis (or meningoencephalitis), encephalitis, and intrauterine or cervical infections in pregnant women, which may result in spontaneous abortion, according to the FDA. Listeriosis symptoms also include fever, muscle aches, fatigue and gastrointestinal issues. Listeriosis does not cause an illness in most healthy people, according to the health department.

No cases of listeriosis infection have been reported yet, officials said. But the Massachusetts Department of Public Health advised consumers to throw out any deli-prepared tuna salad sold between July 26 and August 10 due to the possible contamination with listeriosis-causing bacteria. The recalled products were stamped with an August 19 expiration date. They were distributed to Stop and Shop Supermarkets and other stores. But the products purchased after Aug. 10 should be safe to consume.

In July 2000, the company recalled about 3,300 pounds of chicken salad that was thought to be contaminated with listeria, according to the Department of Agriculture.

About 500 Americans die of the disease annually. Last year, two elderly Massachusetts men died as the result of a severe infection with Listeria, according to the Food and Drug Administration.