Foodborne Illness Outbreaks

Cantaloupe Listeria Outbreak: 116 Cases, 23 Deaths

by Mary Rothschild | Oct 13, 2011

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Wednesday said the outbreak linked to Listeria-tainted cantaloupe has killed 23 of the 116 people sickened, and that four of the illnesses are related to pregnancies.

Pregnant women infected with Listeria typically experience only flu-like symptoms but the bacteria can be life-threatening to fetuses or newborn children. The CDC said that one outbreak-related illness had been diagnosed in a newborn, and three were diagnosed in pregnant women. One pregnant woman with listeriosis had a miscarriage.

In its latest update, current as of Oct. 11, the CDC added 7 more confirmed cases and two deaths, both from Louisiana, to the outbreak toll. Illnesses associated with eating contaminated cantaloupe from the single, implicated grower -- Jensen Farms of Colorado -- have now been reported by 25 states.

The confirmed cases so far since July 31:

Alabama: 1 illness
Arkansas: 1 illness
California: 1 illness
Colorado: 34 illnesses, 5 deaths
Idaho: 1 illness
Illinois: 1 illness
Indiana: 3 illnesses, 1 death
Iowa: 1 illness
Kansas: 7 illnesses, 2 deaths
Louisiana: 2 illnesses, 2 deaths
Maryland: 1 illness, 1 death
Missouri: 4 illnesses, 1 death
Montana: 1 illness
Nebraska: 6 illnesses, 1 death
New Mexico: 13 illnesses, 5 deaths
New York: 1 illness, 1 death
North Dakota: 1 illness
Oklahoma: 11 illnesses, 1 death
Oregon: 1 illness
South Dakota: 1 illness
Texas: 17 illnesses, 2 deaths
Virginia: 1 illness
West Virginia: 1 illness
Wisconsin: 2 illnesses
Wyoming: 3 illnesses, 1 death

Lab-confirmed cases of Listeria infection remain relatively rare in the U.S. - about 800 cases are reported each year - but Listeria monoctyogenes is a particularly virulent species of bacteria that can be fatal. The high cost of this outbreak, in terms of the ordeal for those stricken, is evident by the 20 percent death rate as well as the overwhelming need for medical treatment. 

Of 111 patients with available information, 109 have had symptoms so severe they had to be admitted to the hospital, the CDC said.

The CDC update did not include any new information about how the Colorado-grown cantaloupes were exposed to Listeria, which is more typically a factor in outbreaks involving deli meats, hot dogs or soft cheeses made with unpasteurized milk.  However, produce has been identified before as a source of Listeria infection and contaminated sprouts, celery and cabbage have caused previous outbreaks.

Investigators have said that in this case, outbreak strains of Listeria were found on equipment at Jensen Farms, but they have not said whether the cantaloupes contaminated the equipment or whether the equipment contaminated the melons.

CDC Outbreak Map:
101211map-600.jpg


© Food Safety News

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Brunhilde Merker
10/13/2011
10:17AM

from CBS News today: "Jensen shipped the cantaloupes to about half the states, but added that it wasn't sure where the cantaloupes went because they have been sold and resold. Some companies may be unaware that they bought or distributed the tainted fruit."
That's the problem I described yesterday in the article "root cause" by Dan Flynn, no traceup in the supply chain if not used ScoringAg as the commingled products can't be identified with any other system.
Too sad and too late for many people that the melons couldn't be identified and taken off the market within a few hours. Even the consumer could have look at the SSI-EID traceback code and discard it.
The supplier could have found the spot of contamination immediately before it has spread all over the place.
Fast immediate traceback and traceup is the solution to contain outbreaks not the fact finding afterwards which was in many cases was impossible anyway.


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