Health authorities in Tasmania are investigating a case of potentially deadly listeria which could be linked to two deaths in New South Wales caused by rockmelons.
A listeria outbreak, linked to contaminated rockmelons, killed two elderly people in Sydney and a number of cases have been identified in NSW, Victoria and Queensland.
Tasmania's acting director of Public Health, Scott McKeown, said tests are being done to find out if a local person recently infected with listeria contracted it from rockmelon.
The fruit has now been pulled from supermarket shelves.
The Tasmanian, who was seriously ill, has since recovered.
Mr McKeown confirmed rockmelons from the NSW source were distributed to Tasmania.
"This certainly was a serious illness, listeria is a serious illness and can be fatal in some people," he said.
"The key message for Tasmanians is that if you have a rockmelon either in a fruit bowl or in a fridge that was bought before today it should be thrown out.
"You should double-bag it in a plastic bag and place it in a rubbish bin."
