Listeria infects melons in the United States

• May 1, 2024

The bacteria Listeria monocytogenes It is present in melons from Colorado, so 13 people have died after eating this type of fruit. According to the US health authorities, it is the deadliest outbreak in more than 10 years.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, for its acronym in English) confirmed that there are 72 patients with listeriosis, most of them over 60 years.

It is the first time that authorities link an outbreak of the bacteria with fresh whole melons, because this infection it is most often recorded in processed meats, vegetables and unpasteurized dairy products.

What is listeriosis?

Is a infection generated by a bacterium intracellular Listeria. Its presence is rare in humans, but it is very serious to affect the digestive system , the spinal cord and the muscles . It develops in foods with poor hygiene or in a state of decomposition.

Its incubation period in the human body is 5 weeks. The segments of the population most affected by this bacterium are those made up of children, the elderly, the pregnant and people with low defenses due to the concurrence of other diseases. The following video explains the forms of infection of the disease.

To avoid contagion, experts recommend washing hands before eating and after going to the bathroom, disinfecting food, boiling milk and choosing packaged sausages.

Video Medicine: US' cantaloupe listeria outbreak kills at least 16 (May 2024).