An outbreak of listeria linked to cantaloupe melons produced at a single farm in the US state of Colorado has reportedly killed 13 people and infected 59 others, according to US health officials, making it the most lethal food-borne outbreak in the country for more than ten years.
According to public health and safety body the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a total of 18 US states have reported infections attributed to one of four listeria strains believed to be the cause of the outbreak.
Four of the fatalities were said to be in New Mexico, two in Colorado, two in Texas and one each in Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma.
The CDC reported that it had traced the outbreak to cantaloupes grown at Jensen Farms in Granada, Colorado, where it had obtained a sample later found to contain Listeria monocytogenes.
On 14 September, the company issued a recall of its melons, which it markets under the Rocky Ford brand.
The US Food and Drug Administration has advised consumers to throw out the recalled melons.
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