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Outbreak of listeria in cantaloupe melons from Colorado farm has caused at least 72 illnesses and up to 16 deaths so far An outbreak of listeria in cantaloupe melons in the US may cause more illness and deaths in coming weeks, say health officials. So far, the outbreak has caused at least 72 illnesses and up to 16 deaths, in 18 states, making it the deadliest food outbreak in the country in more than a decade. The Colorado farm where the potentially deadly cantaloupes were traced to, Jensen Farms in Holly, says it shipped fruit to 25 states, and people with illnesses have been discovered in several states that were not on the shipping list. A spokeswoman for Jensen Farms said the company’s product is often sold and resold, so they do not always know where it ends up. “If it’s not Jensen Farms, it’s OK to eat,” said Thomas Frieden, director of the US Centres for Disease Control . “But if you can’t confirm it’s not Jensen Farms, then it’s best to throw it out.” The recalled cantaloupes may be labelled “Colorado Grown,” “Distributed by Frontera Produce,” “Jensenfarms.com” or “Sweet Rocky Fords” but not every recalled cantaloupe is labelled with a sticker, the US Food and Drug Administration said. The company said it shipped out more than 300,000 cases of cantaloupes that contained five to 15 melons each, meaning the recall involved 1.5m to 4.5m pieces of fruit. Frieden and FDA commissioner Margaret Hamburg said that illnesses are expected for weeks to come because the incubation period for listeria can be a month or even longer. Jensen Farms last shipped cantaloupes on 10 September, and the shelf life is about two weeks. “We will see more cases likely through October,” Hamburg said. The FDA said Colorado health officials found listeria in cantaloupes taken from grocers’ and from a victim’s home. Matching strains of the disease were found on equipment and cantaloupe samples at Jensen Farms’ packing facility in Granada, 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 in trying to figure out how the cantaloupes became contaminated. Listeria bacteria grow in moist, muddy conditions and often are carried by animals. The health officials said this is the first known outbreak of listeria in cantaloupe. Listeria generally is found in processed meats and unpasteurised milk and cheese, although there have been a growing number of outbreaks in produce. Hamburg called the outbreak a surprise and said the agencies were studying it closely to find out how it happened. Cantaloupe is often the source of other outbreaks, however. Frieden said CDC had identified 10 other cantaloupe outbreaks in the last decade, most of them salmonella. Listeria is more deadly than well-known pathogens like salmonella and E coli, although those outbreaks generally cause many more illnesses. Listeria generally affects only the elderly, pregnant women and others with compromised immune systems. The CDC said the median age of those struck with illness is 78 and that one in five who contract the disease can die from it. Symptoms include fever and muscle aches, often with other gastrointestinal symptoms. Unlike many pathogens, listeria bacteria can grow at room temperatures and even refrigerator temperatures. It is hardy and can linger long after the source of the contamination is gone; health officials say people who may have had the contaminated fruit in their kitchens should clean and sanitise any surfaces it may have touched. Food safety United States Food guardian.co.uk