DENVER—Cantaloupe is the likely source of a listeria outbreak involving three states that has sickened 12 people, including nine in Colorado, the Colorado Department of Health and Environment said Friday.
Two people have died after being infected by the bacteria in Colorado, but only one of the deaths has been linked to a multistate investigation focused on cantaloupe.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said this marks the first time cantaloupe has been linked to a listeria outbreak.
Colorado officials said two potentially related cases are in Texas and one in Nebraska.
Authorities don’t know the source of the cantaloupe involved. People at high risk for listeria infections include pregnant women and those over 60. Deli meats and cheeses made with unpasteurized milk are more commonly linked to the infection, but outbreaks involving produce have occurred in the past.
Dr. Robert Tauxe, deputy director of the Division of Foodborne, Waterborne and Environmental Infections, said an outbreak involving sprouts happened in 2009, and celery was linked to cases in 2010.
Listeria outbreaks typically occur in the U.S. two to four times a year, Tauxe said. He said the investigation into the outbreak is still in the early stages and that officials who identified the listeria strain in Colorado linked it to other states.
Symptoms of the infection include fever and muscle aches, diarrhea, headaches, stiff neck and confusion, the Colorado health department said. The infection can also cause stillbirths and miscarriages.
The majority of the cases in Colorado involve women and the average age is 84, the health department said.
