Listeria Outbreak, Kills Two, Sparks Multi-State Investigation

An investigation into a listeria outbreak that has killed at least one person has expanded to include three states where possibly tainted cantaloupe was consumed, Colorado health officials said on Friday.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said in a release that the state has reported 13 listeria cases since the beginning of August.

Nine of the confirmed cases of the gastrointestinal infection in Colorado were linked to cantaloupe, the other four cases involved cantaloupe, yet were ruled out or laboratory results were still pending, the health department said.

Chris Urbina, chief medical officer for the department, said officials haven't yet traced where the tainted melons were sold.

Health officials reported two suspected cases in Texas and one in Nebraska, where all of the patients recently ate cantaloupe.

While the investigation into the source of the listeria outbreak is continuing, it is prudent for people who are at high risk for listeria infection to avoid consumption of cantaloupe, Urbina said in a written statement.

Symptoms of the infection include fever and muscle aches, diarrhea, headaches, stiff neck and confusion, the Colorado health department said.

Officials said the infection can also cause stillbirths and miscarriages.

Fred Pritzker, a Listeria lawyer, is leading the multi-state investigation. We are watching closely,'' Pritzker told reporters. The system depends on fearless transparency.''

Those mostly likely to be sickened by the bacteria include people over the age of 60, pregnant women and people whose immune systems have been weakened by disease or organ transplants, Urbina said.

Del Monte Fresh Produce is a major seller of cantaloupe in the United States.

Earlier this year the company issued a major recall of cantaloupes harvested from a single farm in Guatemala after federal health officials associated the fruit with an outbreak of Salmonella Panama that sickened 20 people in 10 states, according to a statement from the company.

Because the outbreak has expanded across three states, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is coordinating the investigation with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Two patients have died in Colorado from listeria in the last month, but investigators can link just one death to the current outbreak.

CDC officials said people in the high-risk groups for contracting the infection should avoid unpasteurized soft cheeses, refrigerated smoked seafood, and deli meats unless they have been reheated to 165 degrees Fahrenheit.