Listeria contamination in cantaloupes shipped to 10 states

By Dr. Ananya Mandal, MDSep 26 2011

Listeria-contaminated cantaloupes were shipped to five more states than was previously known, bringing to 22 the total number of states affected by an outbreak that killed eight people, the FDA announced last week.

Till date a total of 55 people in 10 states have been infected from the tainted cantaloupe, with the highest number of patients seen in Colorado where the fruits were grown, said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Not all the states that received shipments of the fruits appear to have seen infections.

The number of Listeria infections from the food-borne illness could easily rise, said Lola Russell, spokeswoman for the CDC. This is the deadliest U.S. outbreak since a number of salmonella infections killed nine people in 2008 and 2009. “We could see more because it can be in a person's system for up to two months before it presents itself,” she said.

Testing has revealed that the victims are infected with four strains of listeria associated with the outbreak. The CDC says they include 14 victims in Colorado, 10 in New Mexico, nine in Texas, eight in Oklahoma, four in Nebraska, two in Wisconsin and one each in California, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Montana, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming, according to a Wednesday report from the CDC. Deaths have included two in Colorado, one in Maryland, four in New Mexico and one in Oklahoma, federal officials said.

Officials have traced the outbreak to cantaloupe grown at Colorado-based Jensen Farms Inc and sold under the brand name Rocky Ford. The company has voluntarily recalled its cantaloupe shipped between July 29 and September 10, the Food and Drug Administration said in a statement.

On the company's website, Jensen Farms officials expressed regret for the outbreak:

“We are deeply saddened to learn that cantaloupes grown on our farm have been linked to the current listeria outbreak. Our hearts go out to those individuals and their families who have been affected by this terrible situation," a statement said. “We have been cooperating fully with public health officials who are trying to determine the source of the outbreak, and we will continue to do everything we can to assist them in their efforts. We hope that the investigation into the entire supply chain from farm to retail identifies the source of the contamination so that appropriate steps can be taken to prevent such an occurrence from ever happening again.”

The Food and Drug Administration last week identified 17 states affected by the outbreak. But on Thursday, the agency said 22 states were affected. The additional states were: Arkansas, California, Idaho, Ohio and Oklahoma, the FDA said.

Listeria monocytogenes, the bacterial strain found in the contaminated cantaloupe, thrives at low temperatures, the CDC said on its website. Infection can be particularly dangerous for elderly people, pregnant women and patients with weakened immune systems, health officials said.

Russell said it is unusual for Listeria outbreaks to be linked to fresh produce, and often deli meats are the culprit. This is the first outbreak traced to cantaloupes, she said. Previous Listeria outbreaks linked to produce were traced to sprouts and celery.