listeria | The International Outbreak Museum

Outbreak: Colorado Cantaloupe Listeria
Product: Jensen Farms (Colorado) “Rocky Ford” cantaloupe	Investigation Start Date: 8/29/2011
Location: Multi-state	Etiology: Listeria monocytogenes
Earliest known case onset date: 7/31/2011	Latest case onset date: 10/27/2011
Confirmed Case Count: 147	Positive Environmental/Food Samples: 12 / 22
Hospitalizations: 143	Deaths: 33

Final Epi Curve (as of August 27, 2012): Persons infected with an outbreak-associated subtype of Listeria monocytogenes, by date of illness onset (Figure A) and date of clinical specimen collection (Figure B)
PFGE AscI/ApaI profiles for four outbreak-associated L. monocytogenes isolates. First lanes in each column contain ladders.
Jensen Farms packing operations. Last image in top row and first image in bottom row depict washing/drying equipment.
Jensen Farms packing operations. Image on the top right depicts washing/drying equipment.
Jensen Farms cantaloupe growing fields.
Various Rocky Ford cantaloupe advertisements and packaging, including a produce sticker and produce crate from Jensen Farms.

OUTBREAK SUMMARY:

In 2011 a multistate outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes infected 147 people, including 143 hospitalizations and 33 deaths. Illnesses were associated with Colorado cantaloupes marketed as “Rocky Ford” grown at Jensen Farms.

Outbreak: Listeria Soft Cheese
Product: Soft Cheese	Investigation Start Date: 06/27/2013
Location: Multi-State	Etiology: Listeria monocytogenes
Earliest known case onset date: 5/14/2013	Latest case onset date: 6/16/2013
Confirmed / Presumptive Case Count: 5 / 0	Positive Samples (Food / Environmental): 18 / 1

Product Distribution Chain
Recreation of grocery store receipt for Les Freres purchase
PFGE Testing Results
Cases by Week of Illness Onset
Outbreak Case Distribution

OUTBREAK SUMMARY:

Five outbreak cases of listeriosis were identified in Minnesota, Indiana, Illinois, and Ohio. The use of the CDC Listeria Initiative questionnaire to identify a soft cheese signal, along with re-interviewing cases (or their proxies) and calling restaurants to get specific details on cheese brand and cheese type were critical … Continue Reading ››