2011 — Aug-Oct, Listeriosis food poisoning from cantaloupes; packing facility ~Holly, CO– 33

–33  CDC. Multistate Outbreak of Listeriosis Linked to Whole Cantaloupes…Colorado. 8-27-2012.

–33  CNN. “At sentencing, cantaloupe growers apologize for deadly listeria outbreak.” 2-4-2014.

–33  Healthline.com. Worst Foodborne Illness Outbreaks in Recent U.S. History. Accessed 2017

 

Colorado        (9)

–9  CDC. Multistate Outbreak of Listeriosis Linked to Whole Cantaloupes…Colorado. 8-27-2012.

–1  El Paso County. Colorado Springs Gazette. “Cantaloupe…” 9-10-2011, p. A3.

 

Indiana           (1)

–1  CDC. Multistate Outbreak of Listeriosis Linked to Whole Cantaloupes…Colorado. 8-27-2012.

 

Kansas            (3)

–3  CDC. Multistate Outbreak of Listeriosis Linked to Whole Cantaloupes…Colorado. 8-27-2012.

 

Louisiana       (2)

–2  CDC. Multistate Outbreak of Listeriosis Linked to Whole Cantaloupes…Colorado. 8-27-2012.

 

Maryland       (1)

–1  CDC. Multistate Outbreak of Listeriosis Linked to Whole Cantaloupes…Colorado. 8-27-2012.

 

Missouri         (3)

–3  CDC. Multistate Outbreak of Listeriosis Linked to Whole Cantaloupes…Colorado. 8-27-2012.

 

Nebraska        (1)

–1  CDC. Multistate Outbreak of Listeriosis Linked to Whole Cantaloupes…Colorado. 8-27-2012.

 

New Mexico   (5)

–5  CDC. Multistate Outbreak of Listeriosis Linked to Whole Cantaloupes…Colorado. 8-27-2012.

 

New York       (2)

–2  CDC. Multistate Outbreak of Listeriosis Linked to Whole Cantaloupes…Colorado. 8-27-2012.

 

Oklahoma      (1)

–1  CDC. Multistate Outbreak of Listeriosis Linked to Whole Cantaloupes…Colorado. 8-27-2012.

 

Texas              (2)

–2  CDC. Multistate Outbreak of Listeriosis Linked to Whole Cantaloupes…Colorado. 8-27-2012.

 

Wyoming        (2)

–2  CDC. Multistate Outbreak of Listeriosis Linked to Whole Cantaloupes…Colorado. 8-27-2012.

 

Narrative Information

 

CDC: “This multistate outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes infections (listeriosis) ended in October 2011; however, on December 8, a fifth outbreak-associated subtype of Listeria was isolated from a sample of cantaloupe collected during the investigation.

 

“The fifth subtype matches that of Listeria isolated from one patient. This patient’s illness had been reported, but had not previously been linked to the outbreak. Therefore, this case has been added to the number of outbreak-associated illnesses, bringing the total number of outbreak-associated illnesses to 147 persons infected with any of the five outbreak-associated subtypes of Listeria. These persons lived in 28 states.

 

“The number of outbreak-associated deaths has increased by three since December 8, 2011. In total, 33 deaths from outbreak-associated cases of listeriosis have been reported to CDC. In addition, one woman pregnant at the time of illness had a miscarriage.

 

“Ten other deaths not attributed to listeriosis occurred among persons who had been infected with an outbreak-associated subtype. State and local public health officials reviewed causes of death listed on death certificates to determine whether to attribute these deaths to listeriosis. Deaths included in this review occurred as recently as February 29, 2012….

 

“Listeria is a rare but important cause of human illness in the United States. More information about listeriosis and recommendations to reduce the risk of getting listeriosis from food are available at CDC’s Listeria website….

 

“Outbreak Summary. Introduction

 

“CDC collaborated with public health officials in numerous states, including Colorado, as well as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to investigate a multistate outbreak of listeriosis that occurred from August through October, 2011. Listeriosis is a serious infection usually caused by eating food contaminated with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes…..

 

“After the update on December 8, investigators learned that a Listeria isolate that had been isolated from a sample of cut cantaloupe from a patient’s home during the outbreak investigation….

 

“A total of 147 persons infected with any of the five outbreak-associated subtypes of Listeria monocytogenes were reported to CDC from 28 states. The number of infected persons identified in each state was as follows: Alabama (1), Arkansas (1), California (4), Colorado (40), Idaho (2), Illinois (4), Indiana (3), Iowa (1), Kansas (11), Louisiana (2), Maryland (1), Missouri (7), Montana (2), Nebraska (6), Nevada (1), New Mexico (15), New York (2), North Dakota (2), Oklahoma (12), Oregon (1), Pennsylvania (1), South Dakota (1), Texas (18), Utah (1), Virginia (1), West Virginia (1), Wisconsin (2), and Wyoming (4).

 

“Among persons for whom information was available, reported illness onset ranged from July 31, 2011 through October 27, 2011. Ages ranged from <1 to 96 years, with a median age of 78 years. Most ill persons were over 60 years old. Fifty-eight percent of ill persons were female. Among the 145 ill persons with available information on whether they were hospitalized, 143 (99%) were hospitalized. Thirty-three outbreak-associated deaths were reported: Colorado (9), Indiana (1), Kansas (3), Louisiana (2), Maryland (1), Missouri (3), Montana (1), Nebraska (1), New Mexico (5), New York (2), Oklahoma (1), Texas (2), and Wyoming (2). Among persons who died, ages ranged from 48 to 96 years, with a median age of 81 years. In addition, one woman pregnant at the time of illness had a miscarriage. Ten deaths not attributed to listeriosis occurred among persons who had been infected with an outbreak-associated subtype. State and local public health officials reviewed causes of death listed on death certificates to determine whether to attribute these deaths to listeriosis. Deaths included in this review occurred as recently as February 29, 2012….

 

“About 800 laboratory-confirmed cases of Listeria infection are reported each year in the United States and typically 3 or 4 outbreaks are identified. The foods that typically cause these outbreaks have been Mexican-style soft cheeses made with unpasteurized milk, deli meats, and hot dogs. In the past, produce was not often identified as a source, but sprouts caused an outbreak in 2009, and precut celery caused an outbreak in 2010….” (CDC. Multistate Outbreak of Listeriosis Linked to Whole Cantaloupes from Jensen Farms, Colorado (Final Update). 8-27-2012.)

 

Healthline.com: “In 2011, it’s believed that 33 people passed away from contaminated cantaloupe. A total of 147 people got sick. Investigations traced the source of the outbreak to Jensen Farms’ packing facility near Holly, Colorado.” (Worst Foodborne Illness Outbreaks in Recent U.S. History (website).)

 

Newspapers

 

Sep 10: “Cantaloupe appears to be the culprit in a recent multi-state Listeria outbreak that has sickened 11 Coloradans and killed two others since Aug. 1, the state Department of Public Health and Environment reported Friday. Preliminary results of a public health investigation identified cantaloupe as the likely source of infection in nine Colorado cases, plus two in Texas and one in Nebraska….” (Colorado Springs Gazette. “Cantaloupe Believed to be Cause.” 9-10-2011, p. A3.)

 

Sep 13: “Public health officials have narrowed the source of a multistate Listeria outbreak to Rocky Ford cataloupes, but investigators are trying to pinpoint where, exactly, the melons were grown….

 

“People at high risk for listeriosis include those ages 60 and older; those with weakened immune systems, and pregnant women.” (Colorado Springs Gazette. “Listeria Outbreak Linked to Rocky Ford Cantaloupes.” 9-13-2011, p. A3.)

 

Sep 20: “Another person was hospitalized with listeriosis in Colorado Springs over the weekend, bringing the number of cases in El Paso County to five, including one that was fatal.

 

“The outbreak tied to cantaloupe from Jensen Farms in Holly has killed four people and sickened 35 in 10 states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday. At least three other deaths are suspected to be linked to the outbreak but have not been verified through testing….” (Colorado Springs Gazette. “Listeria. Local Sent to Hospital With Illness.” 9-20-2011, p. 3.)

 

Sep 22: “While the risk of someone developing a Listeria infection from consuming contaminated cantaloupe is very small here…at least eight people in Kansas have become ill from the bacteria since Aug. 26, including two people who’ve died….The first six cases were reported Aug. 26…The other reports were made Sept. 16 and 20….The grower shipped the cantaloupe in question between July 29 and Sept. 10….” (Garden City Telegram, KS. “Listeria affects at least eight Kansans.” 9-22-2011, p. 1.)

 

Sep 23: “….The incubation period for the [Listeria] bacteria is up to 70 days, meaning it could be early November before someone who ate a contaminated fruit becomes ill, according to the CDC….” (AP. “Source of Listeria cases unclear.” Salina Journal, KS, 9-23-2011, p. A5.)

 

Oct 19: “A nationwide listeria outbreak that has killed 25 people who ate tainted cantaloupe was probably caused by unsanitary conditions in the packing shed of the Colorado farm where the melons were grown, federal officials said Wednesday.

 

“Government investigators said that workers had tramped through pools of water where listeria was likely to grow, tracking the deadly bacteria around the shed, which was operated by Jensen Farms, in Granada, Colo. The pathogen was found on a conveyor belt for carrying cantaloupes, a melon drying area and a floor drain, among other places. ‘You’re rolling around cantaloupe on uncleanable equipment and you’re getting it wet and you’re not cooling it — it provides the perfect environment for listeria growth and spread,’ said James Gorny, a senior food safety adviser at the Food and Drug Administration….

 

“The farm had passed a food safety audit by an outside contractor just days before the outbreak began. Eric Jensen, a member of the family that runs the farm, said in an e-mail that the auditor had given the packing plant a score of 96 points out of 100. F.D.A. officials did not criticize the auditor directly. But Michael R. Taylor, deputy commissioner for foods, said the agency intended to establish standards for how auditors should be trained and how audits should be conducted.

 

“The food industry increasingly has come to rely on what it calls third-party audits of farms or processing plants to ensure the safety of food. But the auditors are hired by the companies being inspected, and their procedures are largely unregulated. In several recent food safety lapses, the facilities involved had passed third-party audits….

 

“Listeria is frequently found in soil or manure, but tests of the soil on the farm did not turn up the bacteria. Officials said that a dump truck used to take culled melons to a cattle farm was parked near the processing shed and could have brought bacteria to the facility….” (NYT/Neuman. “Listeria Outbreak Traced to Cantaloupe Packing Shed.” 10-19-2011.)

 

Feb 4, 2014: “A pair of Colorado farmers were sentenced Tuesday to five years’ probation, including six months of in-home detention, for their role in a 2011 listeriosis outbreak that killed roughly three dozen Americans who consumed infected cantaloupe, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Brothers Eric and Ryan Jensen, who grew up cultivating cantaloupes on Jensen Farms, a fixture in the dry plains of southeastern Colorado since the early 1900s, also were sentenced to 100 hours of community service and ordered to pay $150,000 in restitution in connection with the deadliest food outbreak in the United States in nearly 100 years. Each apologized in court to the victims’ families…. Both brothers pleaded guilty last year to misdemeanor counts of introducing adulterated food into interstate commerce.

 

“The prosecution recommended probation because of the cooperation of the brothers, including their willingness to meet with congressional investigators and relatives of their victims, Colorado U.S. Attorney John Walsh said in a statement….” (CNN/Ray Sanchez. “At sentencing, cantaloupe growers apologize for deadly listeria outbreak.” 2-4-2014.)

 

Sources

 

Associated Press. “Source of Listeria cases unclear.” Salina Journal, KS, 9-23-2011, p. A5. Accessed 11-7-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/salina-journal-sep-23-2011-p-5/

 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Multistate Outbreak of Listeriosis Linked to Whole Cantaloupes from Jensen Farms, Colorado (Final Update). 8-27-2012. Accessed 11-7-2017 at: https://www.cdc.gov/listeria/outbreaks/cantaloupes-jensen-farms/index.html

 

CNN/Ray Sanchez. “At sentencing, cantaloupe growers apologize for deadly listeria outbreak.” 2-4-2014. Accessed 11-7-2017 at: http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/28/justice/cantaloupe-listeria-deaths-sentencing/index.html

 

Colorado Springs Gazette. “Cantaloupe Believed to be Cause.” 9-10-2011, p. A3. Accessed 11-7-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/colorado-springs-gazette-sep-10-2011-p-3/

 

Colorado Springs Gazette. “Listeria. Local Sent to Hospital With Illness.” 9-20-2011, p. 3. Accessed 11-7-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/colorado-springs-gazette-sep-20-2011-p-3/

 

Garden City Telegram, KS. “Listeria affects at least eight Kansans.” 9-22-2011, p. 1. Accessed 11-7-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/garden-city-telegram-sep-22-2011-p-1/

 

Healthline.com. Worst Foodborne Illness Outbreaks in Recent U.S. History (website). Accessed 11-7-2017 at: https://www.healthline.com/health/worst-foodborne-illness-outbreaks#overview1

 

New York Times/William Neuman. “Listeria Outbreak Traced to Cantaloupe Packing Shed.” 10-19-2011. Accessed 11-7-2017 at: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/20/business/listeria-outbreak-traced-to-colorado-cantaloupe-packing-shed.html