Cantaloupes in Indiana tied to salmonella outbreak

An unidentified farm in southwestern Indiana is withdrawing cantaloupes from the marketplace following a salmonella outbreak that has sickened 141 people and killed two in 20 states, federal regulators said.

There were no reported cases in New York.

As a result of initial investigations by state health departments, the farm has contacted distributors and is withdrawing its cantaloupes from the marketplace, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta said Friday. The farm has agreed to cease distributing cantaloupes for the rest of the growing season.

Among those sickened, 31 were hospitalized, the Food and Drug Administration said Friday. Kentucky had the most reports of illness, at 50.

Almost a year ago, 146 people were sickened and at least 30 died from listeria linked to cantaloupes grown in Granada, Colo. That outbreak was the deadliest in almost 90 years.

Salmonella, a bacterium, remains the most frequent cause of foodborne infections in the United States with an estimated 1.2 million people stricken each year, the CDC reported in June 2011.

Most people infected develop diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours after infection. The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days and most people recover without treatment, according to the FDA.

However, in some people, the diarrhea can be so severe that the patient may need to be hospitalized. In these patients, the infection can spread from the intestines to the bloodstream, and then to other sites in the body and cause death unless treated promptly with antibiotics.