September 29th, 2011

Reports Reuters:

Cases of illness in the U.S. listeria outbreak linked to tainted cantaloupes — already the deadliest in a decade — likely will rise in the next month as more people who have been infected with the bacteria begin to develop symptoms, health officials said on Wednesday.

To date, 13 people have died and 72 people have been infected in the outbreak in 18 states, including two pregnant women, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (For a graphic on the outbreak, click here: link.reuters.com/nax93s)

Unlike E. coli and salmonella, two common causes of foodborne disease, listeria bacteria can cause illness as long as two months after a person has consumed contaminated food, making these outbreaks especially vexing.

“We will see more cases likely through October,” U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Margaret Hamburg said in a telephone briefing.

Find out more at Reuters.