listeria symptoms in adults

listeria symptoms in adults

Listeria

Listeria is a bacterium that causes a serious infection called listeriosis. Around 300 deaths are caused by Listeria infection each year, according to estimates from a 2011 CDC report.

Listeria bacteria are most commonly found in raw foods. Vegetables can be contaminated by soil and water carrying bacteria. Listeria is also found in raw animal products, such as meat and cheese.

Babies can be born with Listeria if the mother eats contaminated food during pregnancy. The death rate among newborns with Listeria is 25 to 50 percent.
Who is most likely to get seriously ill from Listeria bacteria?

Healthy adults and children hardly ever become seriously ill from Listeria. However, people at increased risk of illness from Listeria bacteria include:

Pregnant women – Pregnant women are 20 times more likely to get listeriosis than the average healthy adult
Newborns
People with weak immune systems
People with cancer, diabetes, or kidney disease
People with AIDS – People with AIDS are 300 times more likely to get sick from Listeria than people with normal immune systems
People who take gluticocorticosteroids such as cortisone
Elderly people

Symptoms of Listeria

Listeria symptoms appear anywhere between 3 and 70 days after infection, but usually around 21 days later. Typical symptoms include:

Fever
Muscle aches
Nausea or diarrhea (less common)

If infection spreads to the central nervous system, symptoms can include:

Headache
Stiff neck
Confusion
Loss of balance
Convulsions

Symptoms for those with Weakened Immune Systems

If a patient has a weak immune system, Listeria bacteria can invade the central nervous system and cause meningitis or a brain infection.

Symptoms for Pregnant Women and Newborns

Infected pregnant woman experience mild, flu-like symptoms. However, infection during pregnancy can lead to miscarriage, infection of the newborn, or stillbirth. Symptoms usually appear in newborns in the first week of life, but can also occur later on. A newborn’s Listeria symptoms are often subtle, and include irritability, fever, and poor feeding.

Diagnosis of Listeria

Doctors can determine whether patients have listeriosis by taking a blood or spinal fluid sample.

Treatment of Listeria

Patients who present with symptoms of listeriosis can be treated with antibiotics.

Pregnant Women

If a pregnant woman takes antibiotics promptly after contracting Listeria, she can usually prevent the spread of the Listeria bacteria to her child. Babies who have listeriosis usually take the same antibiotics as adults.
How to Prevent Listeria

People with Normal Immune Systems

Thoroughly cook raw food from animal sources, such as beef, pork, or poultry
Wash raw vegetables before eating them
Keep uncooked meats separate from vegetables and cooked foods
Avoid products made with unpasteurized milk
Wash hands and cooking utensils after handling uncooked foods
Consume perishable and read-to-eat foods as soon as possible

People at High Risk (Pregnant women and people with weak immune systems)

Do not eat hot dogs or lunch meats unless they are heated to a temperature sufficient to kill Listeria bacteria
Avoid getting liquid from hot dog packages on other food
Wash hands after handling hot dogs and lunch and deli meats
Do not eat soft cheeses (e.g. feta, Brie, Camembert, blue cheese, and queso blanco) unless the label clearly states that they are pasteurized
Do not eat refrigerated pâté or meat spread, only canned or shelf-stable ones
Do not eat refrigerated smoked seafood, sometimes labeled as “nova-style,” “lox,” “kippered,” or “jerky.” Canned or shelf-stable smoked seafood is ok

Additional Resources for Listeria

About-Listeria.com is a comprehensive site with in-depth information about Listeria bacteria and listeriosis.

Listeria Blog provides up-to-date news related to Listeria outbreaks, research, and more.