( CNN ) -- The number of deaths linked to cantaloupes contaminated with the Listeria monocytogenes bacteria has risen to 23 , the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed Wednesday . At least 116 cases of listeria have been reported in 25 states , the agency said . The two latest fatalities came in Louisiana . The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals confirmed this week that an 87-year-old Baton Rouge woman died earlier this month . Last week the department also indentified a Shreveport-area woman , 81 , who died from the same strain . Health officials have said the number of cases could continue to grow , citing reporting lags and the fact the disease can develop slowly in some people , taking up to two months . The listeria outbreak is the deadliest food-borne illness outbreak in the United States since 1998 . Five people each have died in New Mexico and Colorado from consuming the tainted fruit , along with two people each in Kansas , Texas and now Louisiana . One has died in Indiana , Maryland , Missouri , Nebraska , New York , Oklahoma and Wyoming , the CDC said . In addition , one woman who was pregnant at the time of the illness had a miscarriage . Cases have also been reported in Alabama , Arkansas , California , Idaho , Illinois , Montana , North Dakota , Oregon , South Dakota , Texas , Virginia , West Virginia and Wisconsin . Groups at high risk for listeria include older adults , people with weakened immune systems and pregnant women , officials have said . The grower , Jensen Farms of Granada , Colorado , issued a voluntary recall of its Rocky Ford brand cantaloupes on September 14 . The tainted cantaloupes should be off store shelves , the CDC said . Cantaloupes from Jensen Farms should be disposed of immediately , even if some of them have been eaten , the CDC said . If consumers are uncertain about the source of a cantaloupe , they are urged to ask their supermarket . If the source remains unknown , the fruit should be thrown out , officials have said . Refrigerating a cantaloupe will not kill the bacteria , which can grow at low temperatures , authorities have said , and consumers should not try to wash off the bacteria .
At least 116 cases have been reported in 25 states . The tainted cantaloupes were recalled last month . Two elderly woman from Louisiana are the latest victims .