We will look at various parameters, environmental in particular, that may have contributed to that contamination and spread. And some of those things that we'll be looking at is any potential animal intrusion. We'll be looking at water quality.
We'll be looking at the growing practices, the harvesting practice. We'll also be looking at the process within the facility for packing and potentially rinsing the cantaloupes themselves and how they were stored and whether there's amplification in that process. A Denver-area TV station has reported that a fertilizer company applied biosolids -- treated sewage -- to a field not far from the farm where the cantaloupes were grown, but that the application occurred several years ago.
Both are approved for use on cantaloupe, among many other crops. A final question so far is whether there was anything the farm could have done, or the FDA could have required them to do, to reduce the likelihood of this outbreak happening. The answer seems to be, not yet. The Food Safety Modernization Act that passed last year does require that the FDA come up with guidelines and regulations to minimize risk from fruits and vegetables that have been associated with outbreaks in the past.
But those new rules aren't due until next year at the earliest, with a final version a year after that. The agency also said that other cases, including deaths, are possible, since illnesses that began after Sept.
It can also take up to two months after eating contaminated food before the symptoms of listeriosis appear, the CDC said. Since the agency's last update , issued Oct. They include two more deaths in Colorado, bringing the total in that state to seven. Investigators used DNA analysis of Listeria bacteria isolated from patients to identify cases of illness that may have been part of this outbreak.
Investigators used data from PulseNet , the national subtyping network made up of state and local public health laboratories and federal food regulatory laboratories that performs molecular surveillance of foodborne infections. A search of the PulseNet database for matching DNA fingerprint patterns from isolates collected during the outbreak time period identified one human matching isolate. The person from whom the Listeria was isolated reported eating cantaloupe before becoming ill; this case was added to the case count.
A total of persons infected with any of the five outbreak-associated subtypes of Listeria monocytogenes were reported to CDC from 28 states. Among persons for whom information was available, reported illness onset ranged from July 31, through October 27, Most ill persons were over 60 years old.
Fifty-eight percent of ill persons were female. Among persons who died, ages ranged from 48 to 96 years, with a median age of 81 years.
In addition, one woman pregnant at the time of illness had a miscarriage. Ten deaths not attributed to listeriosis occurred among persons who had been infected with an outbreak-associated subtype.
State and local public health officials reviewed causes of death listed on death certificates to determine whether to attribute these deaths to listeriosis. Deaths included in this review occurred as recently as February 29, Seven of the illnesses were related to a pregnancy; three were diagnosed in newborns and four were diagnosed in pregnant women.
One miscarriage was reported. The outbreak can be visually described with a chart showing the number of persons who became ill each day. This chart is called an epidemic curve or epi curve.
Please see the description of the steps in a foodborne outbreak investigation for more details. About laboratory-confirmed cases of Listeria infection are reported each year in the United States and typically 3 or 4 outbreaks are identified. The foods that typically cause these outbreaks have been Mexican-style soft cheeses made with unpasteurized milk, deli meats, and hot dogs.
In the past, produce was not often identified as a source, but sprouts caused an outbreak in , and precut celery caused an outbreak in Several ill persons remembered the type of cantaloupes they had eaten and said they were Rocky Ford cantaloupes, which are grown in the Rocky Ford region of southeastern Colorado.
Source tracing of the cantaloupes that ill persons ate indicated that they came from Jensen Farms, and were marketed as being from the Rocky Ford region. These cantaloupes were shipped from July 29 through September 10 to at least 24 states External , with possible further distribution. Colorado state officials determined that these cantaloupes came from Jensen Farms.
FDA worked closely with CDC, the firms involved, and public health authorities in states where illnesses occurred to determine the cause of contamination. Cantaloupes from other farms were not linked to this outbreak. As of 5pm EDT on September 20, , a total of 55 persons infected with the 4 outbreak-associated strains of Listeria monocytogenes have been reported from 14 states.
All illnesses started on or after August 4, A total of 35 persons infected with the outbreak-associated strains of Listeria monocytogenes have been reported from 10 states.
CDC is collaborating with public health officials in several states, including Colorado, and the U. Barbara Mahon, MD, deputy branch chief with the CDC's enteric disease branch, said it's unusual to see four stains involved in an outbreak, and that they aren't closely related, falling into two different serotypes.
The infectious dose for Listeria isn't well understood and may vary by individual, based on underlying health status, she said. In other related developments, Kansas food processor Carol's Cuts on Sep 23 recalled pounds of fresh-cut cantaloupe due to possible Listeria contamination.
The company's action is related to the larger Jensen Farms cantaloupe recall, the FDA said in its recall notice. The Carol's Cuts products were packaged in 5-pound trays and included in 8-ounce fruit medley that was distributed to institutions and restaurants in Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska.
Sep 27 CDC outbreak update. Sep 23 FDA recall notice. Sep 27 CSPI press release. Grant support for ASP provided by. Become an underwriter». All rights reserved.
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