Infected cantaloupe melons grown in the US state of Colorado have killed 18 and caused 100 to fall ill, with numbers expected to rise, US health authorities said Tuesday.
According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, illnesses have been reported in 20 states because of the listeria-inflected cantaloupes.
The death toll was at 15 last week but authorities warn the number of cases will rise as symptoms can take up to two months to appear.
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Despite a recall of the deadly melons, which came from Jensen Farms, and confirmation that the fruit has not been shipped outside of the United States, the CDC is urging consumers to throw away a melon if they are uncertain of its origin.
"Even if some of the cantaloupe has been eaten without becoming ill, dispose of the rest of the cantaloupe immediately. Listeria bacteria can grow in the cantaloupe at room and refrigerator temperatures," the CDC said.
Listeriosis is particularly dangerous to the elderly, those with weakened immune systems and can cause miscarriages and stillbirths in pregnant women. Symptoms include diarrhea, fever and muscle aches.
In most people, the bacteria spreads from the intestine to the bloodstream but it can be treated with antibiotics.
Investigators are still trying to figure out how the whole melons became contaminated, in what has been described as the worst foodborne disease outbreak in more than a decade.
