We are still representing close to 50 people, including the families of over a dozen people who died, from last summer’s cantaloupe Listeria outbreak.  We have been following the Kentucky Salmonella outbreak over the last couple of days only to find out, today, that the culprit is cantaloupes yet again.  The Salmonella contaminated cantaloupes came from Indiana.  Time for broad reformation of the agricultural practices of cantaloupe growers?

The salmonellosis outbreak, which has sickened at least 50 Kentuckians and been associated with two deaths, began in early July. Through an epidemiological investigation and confirmatory lab testing, Kentucky public health officials determined that cantaloupes, which evidence indicates were grown in southwestern Indiana but purchased in Kentucky, carried the same strain of Salmonella determined to be the cause of an ongoing outbreak of infection. Salmonellosis cases caused by the outbreak strain have also been reported in other states. In addition, investigation is also continuing into other clusters of salmonella cases in Kentucky, which may be linked to cantaloupe or watermelon consumption.