coli to salmonella to listeria.ow represents more than a dozen people nationwide made sick from eating cantaloupe. how bad is this cantaloupe outbreak? >> as of yesterday, became the third most deadliest food-borne illness outbreak that's ever occurred in the united states. it's pretty stunning. >> reporter: he didn't expect food safety to be a career when he took a case representing people allegedly made sick from eating jack in the box hall hamburgers in 1993. >> looks like an arkansas case has been confirmed. >> reporter: since then the kapss have rolled in by the dozens, making him one of the leading voices on food safety. >> things are going to get out of control. >> reporter: and he puts his stomach where his mouth is. his own menu never including ground beef or turkey. no bagged salad no matter what. no raw oysters, and never, ever any sprouts. >> i have a different perspective on hamburger than i think most people do. >> reporter: his daughters have grown up without ever tasting a hamburger. >> my view is, u

to risk it. listeria is actually heartier than salmonella or even e. coli and unlike other bacteria, colder temperatures don't destroy it. so, the listeria actually grows and thrives in the refrigerator. so it could be in a melon in the refrigerator growing. >> and you said, use beach for your counters and really wash your hands. >> reporter: absolutely. if you think it was on the counter, wash that counter, bleach the counter. you don't want to risk it. >> all right, thank you so much, sharyn. >>> and we're going to move on now to a california courtroom, where the world learned new details today about what happened in the hours before michael jackson's death, and whether his doctor, conrad murray, tried to cover up jackson's collapsing health. abc's jim avila was in that courtroom again today. jim? >> reporter: diane, the first day of full testimony gave the jury its first look, a first-hand look at the chaotic scene that left michael jackson dead, his doctor in a panic and his children curled up in a ball, weeping. it was the first sign of trouble at

many as 16 deaths tied to what the government is calling listeria-tainted cantaloupes, the deadliest food-borne illness outbreak in the u.s. for more than a decade. cdc says salmonella and e. coli us what more illnesses but listeria is more deadly. so far illnesses are reported in 18 states including california. the outbreak has been traced to jensen farms in holly colorado. the company recalled the tainted cantaloupes earlier this month. >>> just about 6:17. as we said earlier, sue is gathering more information on that fatal accident in east palo alto. she will information on that in a couple of minutes. >>> poor apbg possible around the bay area the eighth one of the year. good morning looking down -- how far we can see probably all the way down to the san mateo bridge gorgeous view. sausalito in the foreground and bay bridge san francisco in the middle. temperatures are running mainly in the 60s once again. let me go across the screen and start to show. sorry about that. wednesday reboot here we go all right. temperatures running main any in the 50s and 60s. warmest peninsula into san francisco, south bay throw mid 60s concord into antioch. near 60 for santa cruz

listeria outbreak that has killed 13 people and sickened others across the nation. the numbers expected to grow. jenna: listeria is one of the most dangerous food borne bacteria out there. deadlier than salmonella and e.coli. >> it attacked her body and they put her in a medically induced coma. everything from there started shutting down. my whom in a million years never, ever deserved to go through this. she is one of the best women like in the world. she is awesome and i'm going to miss her with all my heart. jon: jonathan serrie is live in atlanta where the centers for disease control is in over drive. what do they know about the source. >> reporter: hub health officials are confident they have traced the outbreak to jensen farms, in holly, colorado. it voluntarily recalled its canteloupes earlier this month. however, it's possible we'll see even more cases in the short term. the tricky think about this type of bacteria is it has a long incubation period. you can be infected for several weeks before you display any symptoms. yesterday the cdc reported 72 illnesses in 18 states including 13 deaths. meanwhile state and local health officials in kansas, new mexico and wyoming say they are inves

to risk it. also, if you have cantaloupe in your refrigerator, you don't know where it is from, can't figure it out. throw it out, too. listeria is heartier than salmonellabacterias if it is in the refrigerator, it can grow. you have to be extra careful. >> sharyn alfonsi, abc news. >> heartier than salmonella and e. coli. dangerous, huh. >> i have been eating a lot of cantaloupe. i'm worried. >>> fbi investigators say they have foiled a homegrown terror plot targeting the pentagon and capital using a sting operation. >> massachusetts resident, rezwan ferdaus is now under arrest after undercover agents delivered grenades and guns they say he requested to carry out his attack. investigators say ferdaus began planning his jihad early last year. >>> a federal judge has ruled that tucson shooting suspect jared loughner will soon be fit to stand trial. a psychologist testified that loughner is still delusional but understands he killed people and feels remorse. the psychologist said loughner is a ware that congresswoman spiur mre that congresswoman >>> the husband of a missing mom from utah has lost custody of his children. josh powell is a pers child express

these cantaloupes over there contaminated with listeria which is not something we hear about as much compared to e. coli or salmonella. this is bad for people with weakened immune systems and pregnant women. particularly a concern to them. all the things are in place, as you might imagine. prevent those cantaloupes from getting out in the market and encouragements to people that any time they eat this sort of food, they have make sure they're washing their hands and washing their produce and taking the skin off the fruit. 16 people, as you mentioned. several different states, kyra. it looks like they'll probably get this under control. they're able to figure this one out a little more quickly than in times past. >> you're talking about another food safety issue coming out of the department of agriculture. new steps to prevent e. coli. >> we know about e. coli but several different strains of e. coli. what they're talking about now is trying to test for the other sort of minor strains and if they come back positive, keep those foods from ever getting into the food supply. in the past, it was thought, look, it's trace