The Montana Department of the Public Health and Human Services officials have identified two cases of listeriosis in Montana residents who reside in two different Montana counties, Gallatin and Yellowstone.

Local and state health officials in Montana are investigating both cases for connections to a cluster of listeriosis cases in seven other states that are possibly tied to consumption of cantaloupe. One case, in Yellowstone County, as been definitively linked to the outbreak and the other is awaiting further testing.

While the investigation is continuing to identify the exact source of the illness, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is recommending that persons at high risk for listeriosis, including older adults, persons with weakened immune systems, and pregnant women, do not eat cantaloupes coming from the Rocky Ford region of Colorado. At present, at least 22 ill persons in seven states have been linked to the outbreak.  There have been at least 2 deaths – New Mexico and Colorado.