Death toll at 21 in Listeria cantaloupe outbreak

The Listeria outbreak linked to contaminated cantaloupe continues to widen, now responsible for 21 deaths and 109 serious illnesses.

According to an update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported at MSNBC.com, deaths have now been reported in 11 states and cases of Listeria poisoning illness in 23 states. In each update, even after the product has been pulled from shelves, the number of people affected by the outbreak and its overall reach has increased.

Affected cantaloupe was grown by Jensen Farms. The company issued a recall on its Rocky Ford brand cantaloupe on Sept. 14 and it is believed all products have been removed from the food supply as it would not stay fresh for this long. Still, some companies are just learning they distributed contaminated cantaloupe.

We recently reported on a New York company which just learned it had included contaminated cantaloupe it received from another distributor in its pre-cut fruit cup products.

The source of the contamination is not known, according to the report. Most people affected by this outbreak have required hospitalization. The outbreak is responsible for one recent stillbirth, suffered by an Iowa woman who ate contaminated cantaloupe.

Listeria bacteria affects pregnant women, children and the elderly with the most severe symptoms, which could include stiffness in the joints, dizziness, nausea, headaches, vomiting and abdominal pain. Officials believe there are four separate strains of Listeria bacteria contaminating the cantaloupe.