How serious is Listeria?
Chef's answer
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.
Frequently asked Questions 🎓
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People with invasive listeriosis usually report symptoms starting 1 to 4 weeks after eating food contaminated with Listeria.
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During the first trimester of pregnancy, listeriosis may cause miscarriage. As the pregnancy progresses to third trimester, the mother is more at risk. Listeriosis can also lead to premature labor, the delivery of a low-birth-weight infant, or infant death.
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Symptoms of listeriosis range from showing no symptoms to having diarrhea, fever, muscle pain, joint pain, headache, stiff neck, backache, chills, sensitivity to bright light, and/or sore throat with fever and swollen glands. These symptoms can begin days to weeks after eating contaminated food.
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What is Listeria monocytogenes? It's a harmful bacterium that can be found in refrigerated, ready-to-eat foods (meat, poultry, seafood, and dairy - unpasteurized milk and milk products or foods made with unpasteurized milk), and produce harvested from soil contaminated with L. monocytogenes.
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Sometimes a pregnant woman infected with listeriosis won't feel very sick. However, she can still pass the infection on to her unborn baby without knowing it.
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A blood test is often the most effective way to determine whether you have a listeria infection. In some cases, samples of urine or spinal fluid will be tested as well.
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Cook left-over foods or ready-to-eat foods, such as hot dogs, until steaming hot before eating. (Food should be reheated to at least 74 degrees Celsius for 2 minutes to kill Listeria bacteria.
A few more cooking questions 📍