At 139 sickened - with 29 deaths - the Jensen Farms Frontera Listeria Outbreak has moved into first place in the United States’ most deadly foodborne illness outbreaks.  The numbers of ill and dead are expected to increase in this recent Listeria Outbreak that has impacted 28 states.  Here are the top 2, not largest, but deadliest outbreaks in the U.S.:
1.  Jensen Farms Frontera Listeria Outbreak
•          September 2011 - ONGOING
•          Vehicle: whole cantaloupe
•          Number ill: 139
•          Deaths: 29 (30, county miscarriages)
2.  Jalisco's Listeria Outbreak
•          January 1985
•          Vehicle: cheese
•          Number ill: 142
•          Deaths: 28 (48, counting miscarriages)
As of November 1, 2011, a total of 139 persons infected with any of the four outbreak-associated strains of Listeria monocytogenes have been reported to CDC from 28 states.  The number of infected persons identified in each state is as follows: Alabama (1), Arkansas (1), California (2), Colorado (39), Idaho (2), Illinois (3), Indiana (3), Iowa (1), Kansas (10), Louisiana (2), Maryland (1), Missouri (6), Montana (1), Nebraska (6), Nevada (1), New Mexico (15), New York (2), North Dakota (2), Oklahoma (11), Oregon (1), Pennsylvania (1), South Dakota (1), Texas (18), Utah (1), Virginia (1), West Virginia (1), Wisconsin (2), and Wyoming (4). Twenty-nine deaths have been reported: Colorado (8), Indiana (1), Kansas (3), Louisiana (2), Maryland (1), Missouri (2), Nebraska (1), New Mexico (5), New York (2), Oklahoma (1), Texas (2), and Wyoming (1). Among persons who died, ages range from 48 to 96 years, with a median age of 81 years. In addition, one woman pregnant at the time of illness had a miscarriage.