US CDC Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Twenty-five deaths have now been reported in connection with listeria-infected Jensen Farms' Rocky Ford cantaloupe melons, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The latest six deaths were announced alongside confirmation of related illnesses in an additional 116 people across 25 US states, including a pregnant woman who miscarried.

This is now the worst foodborne outbreak of the diseases since 1998 and the third worst on record in the US.

Pennsylvania has now reported its first case and the CDC advises that more infections can be expected because listeriosis can develop up to two months after contaminated food was eaten.