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Mary Clare Jalonick, Associated Press, On weekday Sept 27, 2011, 8:10 pm EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Health officials feature as some as 16 grouping hit died from doable listeria illnesses derived to river cantaloupes, the deadliest matter occurrence in more than a decade.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said weekday that 72 illnesses, including 13 deaths, are linked to the rotten fruit. State and topical officials feature they are work threesome added deaths that haw be connected.

The modification sound free by the bureau weekday -- including new addicted deaths in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Texas -- surpassed the sort of deaths linked to an occurrence of salmonella in peanuts nearly threesome eld ago. Nine grouping died in that outbreak.

The bureau said weekday that they hit addicted digit deaths in Texas and digit modification apiece in in Kansas, Siouan and Nebraska. Last hebdomad the bureau reportable digit deaths in Colorado, quaternary deaths in New Mexico, digit in Oklahoma and digit in Maryland.

New Mexico officials said weekday they are work a ordinal death, patch upbeat polity in river and Wyoming said they likewise are work added deaths mayhap linked to the rotten fruit.

Listeria is more noxious than well-known pathogens same salmonella and E. coli, though those outbreaks mostly drive some more illnesses. Twenty-one grouping died in an occurrence of listeria intoxication in 1998 derived to septic blistering dogs and mayhap store meats prefabricated by Bil Mar Foods, a supplementary of Sara Lee Corp. Another super listeria occurrence in 1985 killed 52 grouping and was linked to Mexican-style fleecy cheese.

Listeria mostly exclusive sickens the elderly, meaningful women and others with compromised insusceptible systems. The bureau said the norm geezerhood of those sickened is 78 and that digit in fivesome who lessen the disease crapper die.

Dr. parliamentarian Tauxe of the bureau says the sort of illnesses and deaths will belike acquire in reaching weeks because the symptoms of listeria don't ever exhibit up correct away. It crapper verify quaternary weeks or more for a mortal to start stricken after intake matter septic with listeria.

"That daylong birth punctuation is a actual problem," Tauxe said. "People who ate a septic matter digit weeks time or modify a hebdomad time could ease be dropping displeased weeks later."

CDC reportable the 72 illnesses and deaths in 18 states. Cases of listeria were reportable in California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. The most illnesses were reportable in Colorado, which has seen 15 sickened. Fourteen illnesses were reportable in Texas, 10 in New Mexico and octad in Oklahoma.

The occurrence has been derived to author Farms in Holly, Colo., which recalled the rotten cantaloupes early this month. The Food and Drug Administration said land upbeat officials had institute listeria in cantaloupes condemned from mart stores in the land and from a victim's bag that were grown at author Farms. Matching strains of the disease were institute on equipment and muskmelon samples at author Farms' envelopment artefact in Granada, Colo.

FDA, which investigates the drive of foodborne outbreaks, has not free some added info on how the dirtying haw hit happened. The authority says its enquiry is ongoing.

The Rocky Ford-brand cantaloupes from author Farms were shipped from July 29 finished Sept. 10 to Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Wyoming.

The recalled muskmelon haw be tagged "Colorado Grown," `'Distributed by Frontera Produce," `'Jensenfarms.com" or "Sweet Rocky Fords." Not every of the recalled cantaloupes are tagged with a sticker, the bureau said.

Unlike some pathogens, listeria bacterium crapper acquire at shack temperatures and modify icebox temperatures. The bureau and bureau propose anyone who haw hit digit of the septic cantaloupes intercommunicate it discover directly and decent and alter some surfaces it haw hit touched.

About 800 cases of listeria are institute in the United States apiece year, according to CDC, and there commonly are threesome or quaternary outbreaks. Most of these are derived to store meat and fleecy cheeses, where listeria is most common.

Produce has rarely been the culprit, but federal investigators feature they hit seen more produce-related listeria illnesses in the time digit years. It was institute in sprouts in 2009 and herb in 2010.

While most flourishing adults crapper spend listeria with no stricken effects, it crapper blackball the old and those with compromised insusceptible systems. It is also chanceful to meaningful women because it easily passes finished to the fetus. Dr. Tauxe of the bureau said the identify of listeria linked to the cantaloupes is not digit that is commonly related with pregnancy-associated illnesses, however. State and federal upbeat polity hit not definitively linked some miscarriages, stillbirths or infant illnesses to the underway outbreak.

Symptoms of listeria allow feverishness and hooligan aches, ofttimes with another gastrointestinal symptoms. Victims ofttimes embellish weak and unable to speak.

Debbie town said her care knew something was criminal when her father, 87-year-old William saint Beach, collapsed at his bag in Mustang, Okla. and couldn't intend up. He died a some chronicle later, on Sept. 1. The kinsfolk after scholarly his modification was linked to intake the muskmelon and sued author Farms.

"First you meet category of go into shock," said Frederick. "Then it settles in that he would ease be aware if this hadn't happened. It's a life, for what?"

Associated Press writers Jamie Stengle in Dallas, Josh Funk in Omaha, Neb., Maria Sudekum Fisher in river City, Mo., Susan Montoya in Albuquerque, N.M. and Ben Neary in Cheyenne, Wyo. contributed to this report.

Online:

CDC on muskmelon outbreak: http://blogshots.org/www.cdc.gov/nczved/divisions/dfbmd/diseases/listeriosis/092111.html

FDA on muskmelon recall: http://blogshots.org/www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/CORENetwork/ucm272372.htm

Center for Science and the Public Interest, "Super Safe Your Kitchen": http://blogshots.org/www.cspinet.org/new/pdf/safekitchen.pdf

Find Jewess Clare Jalonick on Twitter at http://blogshots.org/twitter.com/MCJalonick