Washington (dpa) - At least 13 people have died across the United
States in a cantaloupe-linked outbreak of the bacterial disease
listeriosis, according to government medical investigators.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday
confirmed at least 13 deaths in eight states and 72 people sickened
in 18 states in the outbreak, which was tied to a Colorado farm's
now-recalled melons.
The Denver Post reported Wednesday that at least three additional
deaths were suspected.
The elderly, pregnant women and people with weakened immune
systems are particularly susceptible to Listeria monocytogenes, the
bacteria that causes the disease, usually through contaminated food
or water.
Listeriosis arises in the gastrointestinal tract and can cause
fever, muscle aches and diarrhoea, though the symptoms are rarely
severe in healthy adults. The infection is especially dangerous
during pregnancy and can cause miscarriage.
In the Colorado outbreak, victims may have been exposed to
listeria strains when melons were cut open, with knives transferring
bacteria from the rind to the edible, orange flesh inside.
Past deadly listeria outbreaks in the United States have been
linked to cheese and processed meats.
The Centers for Disease Control identified the source of the
outbreak as Jensen Farms in Granada, Colorado.
The company issued a voluntary recall on September 14. Its website
described Jensen Farms as a "third-generation family farm of the
Holly, Colorado community."
A September 16 statement, attributed on the website to Eric and
Ryan Jensen, said: "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."
They said they were cooperating with public health authorities and
would do "everything we can to assist" in the probe.
"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 melons may have been sold in up to 25 states from July to
September.
Copyright 2011 dpa Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH