Listeria, the culprit in an outbreak linked to cantaloupe that's killed as many as 16 people in 18 states, is one of the most severe foodborne infections there is.
The bacteria kill approximately 30% of victims and send 90% of the elderly people who get listeriosis to the hospital. In the past listeria has been most strongly linked to deli meats and soft cheeses, but food safety experts say there are troubling signs that the bacteria might be moving into produce.
As of Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention listed 72 illnesses, including 13 deaths, from listeriosis linked to whole melons grown by Jensen Farms in Holly, Colo. Three other deaths are currently under investigation.
The CDC death toll currently includes: Colorado, 2, Kansas, 1, Maryland, 1, Missouri, 1, Nebraska, 1, New Mexico, 4 , Oklahoma, 1 and Texas, 2.
Wyoming is currently investigating the death of a state resident who ate cantaloupe and had listeriosis, but state epidemiologist Tracy Murphy is waiting to confirm that the strain of listeria is one of the four strains linked to the Colorado melons.
"We haven't gotten the full molecular analysis back yet," he said.
New Mexico's Department of Health has identified one other person who had listeriosis and who died, but the state has not yet been able to confirm that the victim had one of the outbreak strains and is waiting for laboratory results.
Kansas has recorded a second death from listeriosis. But Barbara Hersh, public information officer with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment in Topeka, says the state is waiting to confirm the cause of death. The person had listeriosis, but it's unclear if it was one of the outbreak strains.
With 16 possible victims, this listeria outbreak is one of the deadliest in the past decade. In 2008, salmonella in peanut products sold by the Peanut Corporation of America killed nine people.
Listeria monocytogenes are bacteria that can grow even at refrigerator temperatures. Historically they have have been considered mainly a problem in cold cuts, hotdogs and soft cheeses such as Mexican queso fresco. In 1998, an outbreak linked to hotdogs from Bil Mar Foods in Michigan sickened 101 people and killed 21, according to the CDC.
However, the bacteria also have been occurring more frequently in produce. An outbreak in sprouts in 2008 sickened 20, sending 16 people to the hospital. In 2010, an outbreak in celery from SanGar Fresh Cut Produce in Texas sickened 10 people and killed five.
Caroline Smith DeWaal, food safety director at the non-profit Center for Science in the Public Interest, called upon the Food and Drug Administration to quickly release new guidelines and regulations to help keep pathogens out of produce as part of the Food Safety Modernization Act, which was signed into law on January 4.
"Since 1990, melons have caused at least 36 outbreaks, although this one is the first attributed to listeria," DeWaal said. "This pathogen is super-virulent for older or immune-compromised consumers, with a hospitalization rate of over 90%. It has a high mortality rate of 16% and can also cause miscarriages when pregnant women are exposed."
The bacteria kill approximately 30% of victims and send 90% of the elderly people who get listeriosis to the hospital. In the past listeria has been most strongly linked to deli meats and soft cheeses, but food safety experts say there are troubling signs that the bacteria might be moving into produce.
As of Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention listed 72 illnesses, including 13 deaths, from listeriosis linked to whole melons grown by Jensen Farms in Holly, Colo. Three other deaths are currently under investigation.
The CDC death toll currently includes: Colorado, 2, Kansas, 1, Maryland, 1, Missouri, 1, Nebraska, 1, New Mexico, 4 , Oklahoma, 1 and Texas, 2.
Wyoming is currently investigating the death of a state resident who ate cantaloupe and had listeriosis, but state epidemiologist Tracy Murphy is waiting to confirm that the strain of listeria is one of the four strains linked to the Colorado melons.
"We haven't gotten the full molecular analysis back yet," he said.
New Mexico's Department of Health has identified one other person who had listeriosis and who died, but the state has not yet been able to confirm that the victim had one of the outbreak strains and is waiting for laboratory results.
Kansas has recorded a second death from listeriosis. But Barbara Hersh, public information officer with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment in Topeka, says the state is waiting to confirm the cause of death. The person had listeriosis, but it's unclear if it was one of the outbreak strains.
With 16 possible victims, this listeria outbreak is one of the deadliest in the past decade. In 2008, salmonella in peanut products sold by the Peanut Corporation of America killed nine people.
Listeria monocytogenes are bacteria that can grow even at refrigerator temperatures. Historically they have have been considered mainly a problem in cold cuts, hotdogs and soft cheeses such as Mexican queso fresco. In 1998, an outbreak linked to hotdogs from Bil Mar Foods in Michigan sickened 101 people and killed 21, according to the CDC.
However, the bacteria also have been occurring more frequently in produce. An outbreak in sprouts in 2008 sickened 20, sending 16 people to the hospital. In 2010, an outbreak in celery from SanGar Fresh Cut Produce in Texas sickened 10 people and killed five.
Caroline Smith DeWaal, food safety director at the non-profit Center for Science in the Public Interest, called upon the Food and Drug Administration to quickly release new guidelines and regulations to help keep pathogens out of produce as part of the Food Safety Modernization Act, which was signed into law on January 4.
"Since 1990, melons have caused at least 36 outbreaks, although this one is the first attributed to listeria," DeWaal said. "This pathogen is super-virulent for older or immune-compromised consumers, with a hospitalization rate of over 90%. It has a high mortality rate of 16% and can also cause miscarriages when pregnant women are exposed."
