Consumers should avoid purchasing or using certain Abbott Nutrition powdered infant formula after a federal investigation linked a contaminated batch to at least four cases of illness in children, the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention warned Friday.

And although none of those cases occurred in Maine, some of the formula is sold here. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration advises consumers not to use Similac, Alimentum or EleCare powdered infant formula if the first two digits of the code are 22 through 37 and the code on the container contains K8, SH or Z2 and the expiration date is 4-1-22 (April 2022) or later.

The formulas have the potential to be contaminated with Cronobacter, which causes severe foodborne illness, according to the Maine CDC. The infections are rare but high risk for newborn infants.