By Julie Vorman 

WASHINGTON, Feb 21 (Reuters) - The US Department of Agriculture said on Tuesday it would push ahead with a Clinton administration proposal to require US makers of hot dogs, cold cuts and other ready-to-eat meats to test for a potentially deadly bacterium. 

The proposed rule, issued on the final working day of the previous Democratic administration, was among dozens of federal agency measures temporarily suspended by the incoming Bush administration until it could complete its own review. 

The USDA said it would proceed with the proposed regulation to curb contamination with Listeria monocytogenes, which causes a relatively rare, but sometimes lethal, food-borne disease. The bacteria cause an estimated 2,500 flu-like illnesses and 500 deaths annually, according to US government data. The bacteria can also cause miscarriage in pregnant women. 

Under the proposed rule, makers of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products will have to routinely test production lines for any Listeria bacteria on equipment or work areas. If Listeria is found, the plant would also have to sample and test packages of meat at the end of the production line. 

"The proposed regulation identifies the need for additional scientific information and analytical data that, if addressed, could strengthen the scientific foundation of the rule," the USDA said in a statement. A series of public meetings will be held during the next three months to discuss the scientific issues involved in combating Listeria. 

Consumer groups said they were relieved that new Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman, a Republican lawyer, decided to go ahead with the proposed rule. 

Carol Tucker Foreman, head of food safety for the Consumer Federation of America, said the rule is a good start but needs to require more than weekly tests for Listeria as well as package labels that warn of the risks of miscarriage for pregnant women. 

"There are numerous women who accepted the truthfulness of the label statements 'ready-to-eat' and 'USDA inspected and approved' only to lose babies as a result," Foreman said. "They should either be removed or be accompanied by language that warns against consumption by pregnant women and immune-suppressed individuals unless the product is thoroughly heated." 

The Listeria bacteria are destroyed by cooking foods until they are steaming hot. 

The US meat industry has opposed singling out meat and poultry products for such warning labels, contending that Listeria occurs in many other refrigerated foods. 

Consumer pressure for stricter rules began after a 1998 incident in which Listeria in hot dogs killed 21 people and sickened more than a hundred others. Listeria is a particular threat to ready-to-eat meats, soft cheeses, pates and smoked seafood because the bacteria thrive in cool, dark places such as refrigerators. 

Healthy adults and children over one month old rarely become infected with Listeria.