Outbreaks Associated with Cantaloupe, Watermelon, and Honeydew in the United States, 1973–2011

Details

• Alternative Title:
  Foodborne Pathog Dis
• Personal Author:
  Walsh, Kelly A. ; Bennett, Sarah D. ; Mahovic, Michael ; Gould, L. Hannah
• Description:
  Fresh fruits and vegetables are an important part of a healthy diet. Melons have been associated with enteric infections. We reviewed outbreaks reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Foodborne Disease Outbreak Surveillance System during 1973-2011 in which the implicated food was a single melon type. We also reviewed published literature and records obtained from investigating agencies. During 1973-2011, 34 outbreaks caused by a single melon type were reported, resulting in 3602 illnesses, 322 hospitalizations, 46 deaths, and 3 fetal losses. Cantaloupes accounted for 19 outbreaks (56%), followed by watermelons (13, 38%) and honeydew (2, 6%). Melon-associated outbreaks increased from 0.5 outbreaks per year during 1973-1991 to 1.3 during 1992-2011. Salmonella was the most common etiology reported (19, 56%), followed by norovirus (5, 15%). Among 13 outbreaks with information available, melons imported from Mexico and Central America were implicated in 9 outbreaks (69%) and domestically grown melons were implicated in 4 outbreaks (31%). The point of contamination was known for 20 outbreaks; contamination occurred most commonly during growth, harvesting, processing, or packaging (13, 65%). Preventive measures focused on reducing bacterial contamination of melons both domestically and internationally could decrease the number and severity of melon-associated outbreaks.
• Subjects:
  Centers For Disease Control And Prevention, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Cucurbitaceae Disease Outbreaks Foodborne Diseases Food Contamination Fruit Humans Norovirus Population Surveillance Salmonella United States

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• Source:
  Foodborne Pathog Dis. 11(12):945-952
• Pubmed ID:
  25407556
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC4627691
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Funding:
  CC999999/Intramural CDC HHSUnited States/
• Volume:
  11
• Issue:
  12
• Collection(s):
  CDC Public Access
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:9de0b47c94343d1cadb02fd44731251aeaa4f116f4f9b3660e139d7a226f4944
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/36353/cdc_36353_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 405.75 KB ]