Australians are being warned not to eat rockmelon after dozens were struck down by a rare strain of salmonella linked to a Northern Territory farm.
Katherine-based company Red Dirt Melons is taking its rockmelons off the shelves after 86 people contracted the salmonella hvittingfoss bacteria in the past seven weeks.
Forty three of the reported cases were in NSW and almost half of those involved children under five, according to NSW Health.
None of the 86 cases were fatal.
While fruit from Red Dirt Melons has tested positive for the bacteria, authorities are still unsure of its origin and are working to find it.
In the meantime, Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has warned consumers - especially infants, the elderly, pregnant women or people with compromised immune systems - not to consume rockmelon.
Director of health protection in NSW Dr Jeremy McAnulty said NSW Health was working closely with the NSW Food Authority and other jurisdictions to investigate possible sources of the contamination.
"As a precaution, anyone who may have rockmelon in their home and is unsure of its origin should not eat the product," Dr McAnulty said in a statement on Wednesday.
Rockmelon producers are keen for authorities to get to the bottom of the mystery, with the Australian Melon Association reporting that sales of the fruit had dried up.
"We want more details so consumers can find out which parts of Australia are not impacted," the association's Dianne Fullelove told AAP.
"We would like to have our supply chain moving. At the moment it's virtually stopped."
Rockmelons have previously been linked to salmonella, with 50 cases of the saintpaul strain reported in NSW in 2006.
In America in 2011, rockmelon contaminated with listeria was linked to more than 20 deaths.
Ms Fullelove said possible sources of such a salmonella contamination include water, soil or animals moving through a paddock.
"We have guidelines for growers to have checks on all of those things so that they can eliminate the possibility of it happening," she said.
AAP was unable to reach Red Dirt Melons for comment on Wednesday.
ROCKMELON AND FOOD POISONING: RISKS AND HOW TO MINIMISE THEM
* Dirty water, fertiliser, contact with animals and pests, and insufficient cleaning can contaminate fruit
* Pregnant women, infants and the elderly are most at risk
* Don't buy bruised or damaged fruit, wash it before eating and refrigerate within two hours of slicing
* Salmonella infection causes gastroenteritis with symptoms including fever, headache, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting
* Some people, such as babies and the elderly, require hospitalisation for dehydration.
