Cantaloupe are responsible for nearly 30 outbreaks and recalls since 1990, killing two people and sickening more than 1,200. The fruit's netted rind hides harmful pathogens like salmonella and E. coli, which can eventually penetrate the shell and infect the fleshy, nutrient-rich core. (Photo by Brandon Quester/News21)

Cantaloupes harvested in Colorado are the likely the source of a Listeria outbreak that has killed four people in New Mexico and left more than a dozen people ill across the Southwest, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday.

Each American consumed about 8.5 pounds of cantaloupe in 2010, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. About a third of the cantaloupes consumed in the U.S. are grown domestically with the rest imported from countries such as Guatemala. California leads domestic production with Colorado rounding out the top five.

No cases of Listeria linked to cantaloupes have been reported in California.

The listeriosis bacteria causes the general feelings associated with food poisoning from stomach cramps to fevers to muscle aches. About 800 cases pop up each year, according to the CDC.

Earlier this year, the FDA halted imports of cantaloupes from Guatemala's Del Monte Foods because of the agency said they contained salmonella. The company sued last month to block the FDA from imposing such restrictions.

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