Contaminated cantaloupe has turned fruit salads deadly. Not only has the tainted fruit caused 18 deaths in 20 states, but now it’s believed to have taken a life before birth. A pregnant Iowa woman miscarried after suffering listeria poisoning from cantaloupe.

The Iowa Department of Public Health’s medical examiner tells MSN that the poisoning “played a substantial role” in the miscarriage. While early-pregnancy fetal listeria infections can cause miscarriages, late-pregnancy infections can result in stillbirths or gravely ill newborns.

The cantaloupes, which were recalled Sept. 14, are likely no longer edible due to the expiration of the fruits’ shelf life. But that doesn’t mean that listeria infections won’t continue to pop up, because they can occur as long as two months after people eat contaminated food.

Woman’s miscarriage blamed on listeria-tainted cantaloupe [MSN]

Previously: Man Sues After Eating Listeria-Tainted Cantaloupe

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