The History of Cantaloupe and Salmonella
The nationwide outbreak of Salmonella Litchfield has sickened at least 50 people in 16 different states, leading to ban of imported cantaloupe from Honduras, the product implicated in the outbreak. The cantaloupe in this outbreak has been traced back to its producer in Honduras, Agropecuaria Montelibano. Shippers and distributors of the product have recalled the cantaloupe, including Dole (Dole cantaloupe recall) and Chiquita (Chiquita cantaloupe recall). The same cantaloupe has led to an outbreak in Canada as well.
An outbreak of this scale is not new to cantaloupe. Multiple outbreaks in the past have linked various Salmonella contaminations to cantaloupe. In this decade alone, there were 47 cases in a 2000 outbreak, 50 cases in 2001, and 58 cases in 2002, all involving cantaloupe contaminated with Salmonella. These cases were linked to S. Poona, possibly through water contaminated by reptiles that carry the rare serotype. All the melons involved were from Mexico, which spurred a banning of cantaloupe from the Mexican farm that produced the melons.
2006 saw an outbreak of S. Oranienburg in the Northeastern region of the United States and parts of Canada, affecting 41 individuals. From 1973-2003, 11 outbreaks of Salmonella in cantaloupe were reported to the CDC. There are many other documented outbreaks in cantaloupe, including the following:
- 2001 – Salmonella Poona, 46 cases (including 2 deaths) in 14 states
- 2000 - Salmonella Poona, 43 cases in 7 states
- 1998 - Salmonella Oranienburg, 22 cases in Ontario, Canada
- 1997 - Salmonella Saphra, 24 cases in California
- 1991 - Salmonella Poona, >400 cases in 23 states and Canada
- 1990 - Salmonella Chester, 245 cases in 30 states
Cantaloupe and Salmonella have a long history together in causing massive outbreaks in the United States in Canada. The CDC and FDA are well aware of the dangers associated with cantaloupe, but history seems to repeat itself over and over again. 2005 research addressed the three outbreaks from 2000-2002 to discover why Salmonella seems so attracted to cantaloupe. The research showed that the Salmonella bacteria form what is called a “biofilm” which are colonies of the bacteria that covered in polymers. Most sanitizers are ineffective at getting rid of the biofilm from the cantaloupe surface, especially water-based sanitizers.
Even if Agropecuaria Montelibano had washed the cantaloupe, there is still a very good chance that biofilms of Salmonella were still present on the cantaloupe surface. Even after purchase of the melons and washing them in water, cutting into the melon could easily have spread the bacteria into the fruit that was on the surface.
Honduran President Manuel Zelaya ate a cantaloupe on public television as a display of his confidence in the safety of his country’s fruit. The urge for U.S. consumers not to eat Honduran fruit has led to the laying off of almost 2000 workers and criticism that the warning from the FDA is tied to President Zelaya’s close relationship with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. These allegations have been denied.
No matter what the motivations for the recall are, it is important that consumers are informed of the risks associated with the product. This outbreak is just another on a long list of cantaloupe-related Salmonella outbreaks. Perhaps this outbreak will lead to more research so that cantaloupe outbreaks can be prevented in the future.
Click here to learn more about the current Salmonella Litchfield outbreak.
All information in this article was compiled using the following links:
http://www.ars.usda.gov/research/publications/publications.htm?SEQ_NO_115=172325
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15083723
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5146a2.htm