Listeria and Cantaloupe: A New Source for a Deadly Disease?
Over the last four decades, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has never had a documented listeriosis outbreak linked to cantaloupe, until now. The cantaloupe listeriosis outbreak which began in Colorado and has spread to Texas and Nebraska, may be the first of its kind.
Researchers who reviewed all 28 cantaloupe-associated outbreaks that were reported to the CDC between 1973 and 2003 found that four pathogens were responsible for all of them: Salmonella, Campylobacter, E. Coli and Norovirus, according to a 2005 study published by researchers at the CDC and the University of Georgia. The same is true for eight of the nine cantaloupe-associated outbreaks since 2003. Only the current outbreak is related to Listeria.
“Compared with most other foodborne pathogens, listeriosis is rare and very dangerous. In the United States, an estimated 1,600 people become seriously ill with listeriosis each year. Of these, 260 die,” said Fred Pritzker, a nationally recognized Listeria lawyer.
Listeriosis is a rare, potentially fatal infection caused by the foodborne pathogen Listeria. At particulcar risk are the elderly, the immunocompromised and pregnant women, who are 20 times more likely to get listeriosis than other healthy adults.
The foods most often cited as potential risks are: uncooked meats or vegetables, smoked fish, hot dogs, deli meats, meat spreads, pates and unpasteurized soft cheeses.
Onset of symptoms for the more mild form of listeriosis usually begin within a day after eating contaminated food. But the incubation period for the more serious form of the disease is generally much longer - up to 90 days after exposure
Symptoms include fever, muscle aches, diarrhea, headache, stiff neck, confusion and convulsions. These symptoms can be followed by septicemia (blood poisoning) or meningitis, both of which can be fatal. For pregnant women, listeriosis can result in miscarriage, stillbirth or the birth of a baby with serious illness.
The Listeria experts at PritzkerOlsen, P.A. have been involved in every major Listeria outbreak in the country. If you have legal questions about a listeriosis illness, contact them toll-free at (888-377-8900).
