People who have eaten sliced deli meats from Dion’s restaurants in three states are at risk of infection from Listeria monocytogenes according to a public health alert from the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service.

Dion’s restaurants in Colorado, New Mexico and Texas used the implicated meats on pizzas, salads and open-faced sandwiches from mid-December 2016 through Wednesday this past week, according to the public alert.

“Consumers who have purchased these products from Dion’s restaurants are urged not to consume them. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase,” according to the FSIS alert.

“The problem was discovered through routine testing conducted as part of the Peter DeFries Corporation’s Listeria testing program. Anyone concerned about an illness should contact a health care provider.”

It can take up to 70 days for symptoms of Listeria infection, listeriosis, to develop. Symptoms can include fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions sometimes preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms. An invasive infection sometimes spreads beyond the gastrointestinal tract.

In pregnant women, the infection can cause miscarriages, stillbirths, premature delivery or life-threatening infection of the newborn. In addition, serious and sometimes fatal infections can occur in older adults, young children and people with weakened immune systems.

The implicated deli meats, produced by Albuquerque-based Peter DeFries Corp. were made between Dec. 14 and Dec. 29, 2016, included sliced roast beef, ham, pastrami and turkey.