NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Department of Health says six people in Tennessee have been sickened by salmonella that has been traced back to cantaloupes from Indiana.

The outbreak has killed two people in Kentucky and sickened at least 141 people across several states.

Tennessee deputy epidemiologist John Dunn told WPLN-FM that the outside of the melon is contaminated and when someone cuts through a melon, the salmonella spreads to the flesh of the melon that people consume.

Dunn recommends consumers ask about where the cantaloupes are grown when they purchase them and that any melons from southwestern Indiana should be thrown out.