Posted on October 23 2011 by Alica Blakeley

Important Facts About Cantaloupes and Listeria

I was so happy a few weeks ago to find good-looking cantaloupes on the store shelves that I bought two, eager to cut them up and pretend that it was still summer

I did enjoy the bright orangish succulent fruit for a few days until the news hit: people were actually dying from eating these melons As of October 11, the CDC received reports of 23 deaths out of the 116 listeria-infected people the deadly type of food poisoning is known as listeriosis This is, unfortunately, probably not the end of the deadly outbreak: listeria has a long incubation period, making it likely that more people will become ill in the coming months

I listened carefully I learned that the infected melons came from Colorado, with labels reading “Colorado Grown,” “Distributed by Frontera Produce,” “Jensenfarmscom” or “Sweet Rocky Fords” I ran to check the label on my cantaloupes and was relieved to see that they were grown in California But the nagging feeling still persisted Each time I bit into a piece, I wondered if it was worth the gamble And that old adage—”When in doubt…”—kept echoing in my head

I finally listened I threw it out And then, I wiped down my refrigerator shelves with soap and water since I learned that listeria-contaminated foods could contaminate other foods stored nearby Just in case

I probably wasted some money and did this needlessly, since I knew that I was likely safe I also knew it was unlikely that these cantaloupes would cause listeriosis because of these facts:

  • People with weakened immune systems, the elderly and those with immune disorders are most likely to become sick if infected These include newborns and pregnant women who are about 20 more times more likely than healthy people to develop severe infection Pregnant women, if infected, can miscarry or suffer a stillbirth
  • It’s rare that adults with healthy, intact immune systems get ill Did you know that being an optimist can have a positive effect on your immune system and lower your stroke risk?
  • Most of the people who died were over age 60; at least two were in their 90s

How would you know if you had a case of food poisoning? The illness usually begins with diarrhea or other intestinal symptoms, leading to fever and muscle aches

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