Killer Cantaloupes Claim 13 Lives in US

According to US health officials cantaloupes (muskmelons) in Colorado have been linked to a outbreak of listeria monocytogenes that has killed 13 people and infected dozens more.

The whole cantaloupes were from Jensen farms in the western US state which has recalled its Rocky Ford brand of cantaloupes grown in Granada, Colorado, said the Atlanta, Georgia-based US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Organic Foods - 'Natural products'
Organic Foods are produced by the ‘natural method’, without the use of chemicals like pesticides, fertilizers or sewage sludge.

To date, deaths have been reported across much of the country in the case: two in Colorado; one in Kansas; one in Maryland; one in Missouri; one in Nebraska, four in New Mexico, one in Oklahoma, and two in Texas, the CDC said in a statement.

They were among the total 72 reported infections in a total of 18 US states, the CDC added.

The illnesses started on or around August 15, the statement added.

Food-borne Illness Hits 1 in 6 Americans Each Year
About one in six Americans, or 48 million people, get sick from adulterated food each year, according to US officials.

Listeria monocytogenes, a bacterium, is an agent that causes listeriosis, and is among the most virulent food-borne pathogens.

Some US media, including The New York Times, called the case the deadliest outbreak of food-borne illness in a decade.

Listeriosis Scare Overwhelms Laboratories in Canada
The listeriosis scare is overwhelming the blood testing laboratories in Ontario, Canada. The labs are being advised not to allow tests for those who have no symptoms.

Source-AFP

New Methods for Preventing Tuberculosis and Other Pathogenic Bacterial Diseases Developed
US scientists have found the structure of a 'metabolic switch' of the TB bacterium and prevent tuberculosis and other pathogenic bacterial diseases soon.