Colorado health officials warned Thursday that an outbreak of listeria cases has led to two deaths since May 20, a cause for concern when the state averages only 10 bouts of the illness a year.
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment epidemiologists said three cases of listeria infection involving people of Latino heritage had resulted in two deaths. The dead were a man in his 30s and a woman in her 60s.
The source remains unknown, while state and Denver public-health officials work to isolate it. A state epidemiologist said there was no apparent relationship among the three victims of the illness.
Investigators will look at foods eaten by the victims in the past month, the sources of the food and other factors as they try to isolate the source.
People at high risk should avoid soft cheeses, such as brie or queso fresco, unless made with pasteurized milk; and deli meats or hot dogs not fully cooked to 165 degrees. The warning list also includes “refrigerated smoked seafood” and other meat spreads.
Those at potentially high risk include people with weakened immunity, the elderly and pregnant women. Symptoms include fever, muscle aches, diarrhea, headache, stiff neck, confusion and convulsions. Ingesting food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, an uncommon but potentially fatal infection, a health- department release said.
“Healthy people rarely contract listeriosis,” the release added.
Antibiotics can cure the illness, but some infections result in death even when treated quickly.
Diane Carman at the School of Public Affairs at the University of Colorado Denver has written a paper about how epidemiologists track listeria. You can read it at .
