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Fears that more will sicken or die from listeria outbreak
Source: Agencies |
September 30, 2011, Friday
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US health officials have warned more illnesses and possibly more deaths could result from an outbreak of listeria in cantaloupe melons.
So far, the outbreak has caused at least 72 illnesses, including up to 16 deaths, in 18 states, making it the deadliest food-poisoning outbreak in the US in more than a decade.
Jensen Farms in Colorado, to which the cantaloupes were traced, said it shipped fruit to 25 states, and illnesses have been discovered in several states not on that list.
The Food and Drug Administration at first said the cantaloupes were also exported and the countries involved notified. Officials later said none have been exported.
A spokeswoman for Jensen Farms said its products are often sold and resold, so the end consumer cannot be determined.
The company said it shipped more than 300,000 cases containing five to 15 melons each - up to 4.5 million fruits.
FDA commissioner Margaret Hamburg said illnesses are expected over coming weeks because the incubation period for listeria can be a month or longer - someone who ate a contaminated cantaloupe last week may not get sick until next month.
"We are likely to see more cases through October," Hamburg said.
The FDA said state health officials found listeria in cantaloupes taken from Colorado grocery stores and from a victim's home that were grown at Jensen Farms. Matching strains of the disease were found on equipment and cantaloupe samples at the Jensen Farms packing facility Colorado.
Sherri McGarry, a senior adviser in the FDA's Office of Foods, said the agency is looking at the farm's water supply and possible animal intrusions among other things to identify the source of the contamination.
Listeria bacteria grow in moist, muddy conditions and are often carried by animals.
Health officials said this is the first known outbreak of listeria in cantaloupe. It is generally found in processed meats and unpasteurized milk and cheese, although there has been a growing number of outbreaks in produce. Hamburg called the outbreak a surprise and said the agencies are studying it closely to find out how it happened.
Cantaloupe is more often a source of salmonella outbreaks. Listeria is more deadly than salmonella and E. coli, although these generally cause more illnesses. Twenty-one people died in an outbreak of listeria poisoning in 1998 traced to contaminated hot dogs and possibly delicatessen meats. Another listeria outbreak in 1985 killed 52 people and was linked to Mexican-style soft cheese.
Listeria generally sickens only the elderly, the pregnant and those with compromised immune systems. The US Center for Disease Control said the median age of those taken ill is 78. The disease is fatal to one in five. Symptoms include fever and muscle aches, often with other gastro-intestinal symptoms.
Unlike many pathogens, listeria bacteria can grow at room and refrigerator temperatures, and can linger long after the source is gone - health officials say people who may have had the contaminated fruit in their kitchens should clean the surfaces it may have touched.
So far, the outbreak has caused at least 72 illnesses, including up to 16 deaths, in 18 states, making it the deadliest food-poisoning outbreak in the US in more than a decade.
Jensen Farms in Colorado, to which the cantaloupes were traced, said it shipped fruit to 25 states, and illnesses have been discovered in several states not on that list.
The Food and Drug Administration at first said the cantaloupes were also exported and the countries involved notified. Officials later said none have been exported.
A spokeswoman for Jensen Farms said its products are often sold and resold, so the end consumer cannot be determined.
The company said it shipped more than 300,000 cases containing five to 15 melons each - up to 4.5 million fruits.
FDA commissioner Margaret Hamburg said illnesses are expected over coming weeks because the incubation period for listeria can be a month or longer - someone who ate a contaminated cantaloupe last week may not get sick until next month.
"We are likely to see more cases through October," Hamburg said.
The FDA said state health officials found listeria in cantaloupes taken from Colorado grocery stores and from a victim's home that were grown at Jensen Farms. Matching strains of the disease were found on equipment and cantaloupe samples at the Jensen Farms packing facility Colorado.
Sherri McGarry, a senior adviser in the FDA's Office of Foods, said the agency is looking at the farm's water supply and possible animal intrusions among other things to identify the source of the contamination.
Listeria bacteria grow in moist, muddy conditions and are often carried by animals.
Health officials said this is the first known outbreak of listeria in cantaloupe. It is generally found in processed meats and unpasteurized milk and cheese, although there has been a growing number of outbreaks in produce. Hamburg called the outbreak a surprise and said the agencies are studying it closely to find out how it happened.
Cantaloupe is more often a source of salmonella outbreaks. Listeria is more deadly than salmonella and E. coli, although these generally cause more illnesses. Twenty-one people died in an outbreak of listeria poisoning in 1998 traced to contaminated hot dogs and possibly delicatessen meats. Another listeria outbreak in 1985 killed 52 people and was linked to Mexican-style soft cheese.
Listeria generally sickens only the elderly, the pregnant and those with compromised immune systems. The US Center for Disease Control said the median age of those taken ill is 78. The disease is fatal to one in five. Symptoms include fever and muscle aches, often with other gastro-intestinal symptoms.
Unlike many pathogens, listeria bacteria can grow at room and refrigerator temperatures, and can linger long after the source is gone - health officials say people who may have had the contaminated fruit in their kitchens should clean the surfaces it may have touched.
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