What is listeria infection?
Listeria infection is a foodborne bacterial illness that can be very serious for pregnant women, people older than 65 and people with weakened immune systems.
It's most commonly caused by eating improperly processed deli meats and unpasteurized milk products.
Healthy people rarely become ill from listeria infection, but the disease can be fatal to unborn babies, newborns and people with weakened immune systems.
Prompt antibiotic treatment can help curb the effects of listeria infection.
Listeria bacteria can survive refrigeration and even freezing. So people who are at higher risk of serious infections should avoid eating the types of food most likely to contain listeria bacteria.
Symptoms
If you develop a listeria infection, you might have:
- Fever
- Chills
- Muscle aches
- Nausea
- Diarrhea
Symptoms might begin a few days after you've eaten contaminated food, but it can take 30 days or more before the first signs and symptoms of infection begin. If the listeria infection spreads to your nervous system, signs and symptoms can include:
- Headache
- Stiff neck
- Confusion or changes in alertness
- Loss of balance
- Convulsions
Symptoms during pregnancy and in newborns
During pregnancy, a listeria infection is likely to cause only mild signs and symptoms in the mother. The consequences for the baby, however, can be devastating — the baby can die in the womb or have a life-threatening infection within a few days of being born.
Signs and symptoms of a listeria infection in a newborn can be subtle, but can include:
- Little interest in feeding
- Irritability
- Fever
- Vomiting
- Difficulty breathing
Causes
Listeria bacteria can be found in soil, water and animal feces.
People can get infected by eating the following:
- Raw vegetables that have been contaminated from the soil or from contaminated manure used as fertilizer
- Contaminated meat
- Unpasteurized milk or foods made with unpasteurized milk
- Certain processed foods — such as soft cheeses, hot dogs and deli meats that have been contaminated after processing
- Unborn babies can contract a listeria infection from the mother.
Source:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/listeria-infection/symptoms-causes/syc-
20355269
