( CNN ) -- Criminal investigators from the Department of Justice and the Food and Drug Administration were at a Massachusetts pharmaceutical company on Tuesday with a search warrant , a company spokesman said . Federal officials say that more issues have been reported with drugs from the New England Compounding Center , or NECC , which has been linked to a deadly multistate outbreak of fungal meningitis . FDA spokeswoman Erica Jefferson confirmed that criminal investigators were on site , but declined to answer questions regarding a warrant . U.S. Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz similarly said that personnel from her office and law enforcement partners were investigating allegations concerning the company . She added that it was `` entirely premature '' to suggest what the results of that investigation may be . Nineteen people have died from the noncontagious meningitis associated with injections of a contaminated steroid produced by the NECC . Are my drugs coming from a compounding center ? Paul Cirel , an attorney for the NECC , said of the investigation Tuesday , `` It is difficult to understand the purpose of this search , since we have been clear that New England Compounding Center would provide , and has provided , anything requested . We 've been clear that warrants were n't needed ; asking would have produced the same result . Nevertheless , we continue to offer our cooperation . '' As part of the ongoing investigation into the center , a patient with possible meningitis has been identified who received an injection of another NECC product , triamcinolone acetonide , the Food and Drug Administration said Monday . Also , a fungal infection from Aspergillus was reported in a transplant patient who received cardioplegic solution from NECC , the FDA said . Cardioplegic solution is used to induce paralysis of the heart during open-heart surgery . `` An investigation of this patient is ongoing ; and there may be other explanations for their Aspergillus infection , '' the FDA said . The health care facility initially reported two transplant patients having infections from Aspergillus , the FDA said . FDA urges patients to be 'vigilant ' The heart transplant patient received the cardioplegic solution in August , and the patient who received the triamcinolone injection was treated on September 19 -- both before NECC recalled its products , according to an official at the federal Centers for Disease Control , who declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the subject . The NECC announced a recall of all its products October 6 . The FDA said `` the sterility of any injectable drugs ... produced by NECC ( is ) of significant concern , and out of an abundance of caution , patients who received these products should be alerted to the potential risk of infection . '' The CDC reported Wednesday the number of meningitis cases increased from 233 to 245 , spread across 15 states . There are two cases of a `` peripheral joint infection '' that specifically affects a joint such as a knee , hip , shoulder or elbow , officials said . The cases have been linked to injections of a contaminated steroid , methylprednisolone acetate , produced by the NECC . Some 14,000 people may have received the injections , the CDC estimated last week . A Minnesota woman , Barbe Puro , filed a lawsuit Thursday -- which may be the first from the outbreak -- against tthe NECC . In it , she alleges she was injected in September with a tainted batch of steroids from the NECC . Meanwhile , members of Congress expanded an investigation into the outbreak . In a letter to the director of the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Pharmacy , leaders of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce noted the FDA sent the NECC a warning letter in 2006 `` detailing significant violations witnessed '' by investigators the previous year . Woman sues over outbreak . Massachusetts Gov . Deval Patrick also accused the NECC last week of misleading regulators and operating outside its license by shipping large batches of drugs nationwide . Plus , the state 's pharmacy board mandated that all Massachusetts compounding pharmacies sign affidavits stating they are complying with state regulations requiring compounders to mix medications for specific patients . Meningitis is an inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord . It is usually caused by an infection , frequently with bacteria or a virus , but it can also be caused by less common pathogens , such as fungi in this case , according to the CDC . Steroid injections common for back pain sufferers . Fungal meningitis is very rare and , unlike viral and bacterial meningitis , is not contagious . Dr. William Schaffner , chairman of the Department of Preventive Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center , said fungal infections are not usually mild . He said when a fungus invades small blood vessels , it can cause them to clot or bleed , which can lead to symptoms of small strokes . In addition to typical meningitis symptoms such as headache , fever , nausea and stiffness of the neck , people with fungal meningitis may also experience confusion , dizziness and discomfort from bright lights . Patients might just have one or two of these symptoms , the CDC says . CDC : Tests may not detect meningitis fungus . CNN 's Elizabeth Cohen and Danielle Dellorto contributed to this report .
Director , FDA , at facility tied to the outbreak . The outbreak has been linked to the local compounding pharmacy . The number of meningitis cases is now up to 245 with no deaths , according to the CDC .