By Bill Zeeble, KERA News
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kera/local-kera-988054.mp3
Dallas, TX – State officials continue monitoring tainted Colorado cantaloupe that have killed two in north Texas and sickened a dozen other Texans. KERA's Bill Zeeble reports extra caution is warranted, because listeria has a long "shelf life."
Carrie Williams, with the Department of State Health Services, says grocers have already pulled the Rocky Ford brand. Some of those Colorado cantaloupes contained listeria. But she says there is still a risk.
Williams: One thing that makes listeriosis a really complex illness for us to investigate is that the illness itself has a really long incubation period. Meaning people may eat the product and not experience symptoms for up to 70 days. And so tracking that back is really difficult.
Williams says health officials are talking to those with symptoms, asking what they ate, when, and where they bought their food. State scientists are also looking for certain genetic matches of fruit that contain the disease. She doesn't expect many more cases, but says the number of those with listeria can only rise.
Consumers were told to throw any Rocky Ford cantaloupes out. While fruit grown in other states is considered safe, washing the exterior is recommended, says Williams, but not easy.
Williams: In cantaloupe, with a surface that's not smooth - its bumpy, porous, there are a lot of nooks and crannies - it's hard for us to tell people to wash the outside and you'll be safe because it's next to impossible to make sure you're getting it 100 percent clean and free of listeria.
Symptoms of the illness include fever and muscle aches, diarrhea, headaches, stiff neck and confusion. Antibiotics are usually prescribed to treat the infection.
Centers For Disease Control & Prevention: Listeria Info Site