Listeriosis
February 2009
What is listeriosis?
Listeriosis is an infection caused by the bacteria
Listeria monocytogenes. There are about ten to 25 cases of listeriosis
reported each year in Washington. Listeriosis can cause a mild, flu-like
illness or a serious infection of the bloodstream or the lining covering the
brain and spinal cord.
How is listeriosis spread?
The most common way to get
listeriosis is by eating food contaminated with Listeria. Women who are
infected during pregnancy can pass Listeria to their fetus or newborn
baby.
Who gets listeriosis?
Anyone who is exposed to
Listeria bacteria can get listeriosis. Pregnant women, newborns, elderly
adults, and people with weakened immune systems are at increased risk for
serious infection.
What are the symptoms of listeriosis?
Usual symptoms of listeriosis
include fever, muscle aches, diarrhea, and an upset stomach. Mild illnesses are
generally not diagnosed. More serious infections cause severe headache, stiff
neck, confusion, loss of balance, or convulsions. Although pregnant women often
have a mild, flu-like illness, listeriosis can cause miscarriages, premature
births or still-births.
About 30-50 percent of newborns
and 35 percent of nonpregnant adults with serious infection die from
listeriosis.
How soon after infection do symptoms appear?
Symptoms can appear from three to 70 days after exposure. About half of
infected people have symptoms within three weeks.
How is listeriosis diagnosed?
Serious infections with listeriosis are diagnosed by testing a sample taken from
body tissues, such as blood or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).
How is listeriosis treated?
Antibiotics are used to treat listeriosis.
What can I do to prevent listeriosis?
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General recommendations:
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Avoid unpasteurized (raw) milk or foods made from unpasteurized
milk.
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Thoroughly cook raw meat, such as beef, pork, or poultry.
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Wash raw vegetables thoroughly before
eating.
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Keep uncooked meats separate from vegetables and from cooked foods
and ready-to-eat foods.
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Wash hands, knives, and cutting boards after handling uncooked
foods.
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Eat perishable and ready-to-eat foods as soon as possible.
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Additional recommendations for those at
high risk, such as pregnant women, elderly adults, and persons with weakened
immune systems:
o
Avoid the following foods:
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All soft cheeses (including Mexican-style cheeses such as queso
blanco, queso fresco, and Panela, blue cheeses, Brie, Camembert and
feta) unless their label states they are made from pasteurized milk.
-
Hot dogs, lunch meats or deli meats, unless they are reheated
until steaming hot.
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Refrigerated pâtés or meat spreads. It is safe to eat canned or
shelf-stable* pâtés and meat spreads.
-
Refrigerated smoked seafood, unless it is in a cooked dish, such
as a casserole. Refrigerated smoked seafood, such as salmon, trout, whitefish,
cod, tuna or mackerel, is most often labeled as "nova-style," "lox," "kippered,"
"smoked," or "jerky". The fish is found in the refrigerator section or sold at
deli counters of grocery stores and delicatessens. It is safe to eat canned or
shelf-stable* smoked seafood.
-
Leftover foods or ready-to-eat foods from delicatessen counters,
unless heated/reheated to steaming hot before eating.
o
Avoid getting fluid from hot dog
packages on other foods, utensils, and food preparation surfaces. Wash your
hands after handling hot dogs, luncheon meats, and deli meats.
* “Shelf-stable” refers to a food that is typically
refrigerated but has been altered to be safely stored in a sealed container at
room temperature (e.g., vacuum sealing, irradiation, freeze drying)."
For more information, contact your local health
department:
www.doh.wa.gov/LHJMap/LHJMap.htm , or
Communicable Disease Epidemiology at (206) 418-5500 or toll-free 877-539-4344.
Documents posted in .pdf version on the Department of Health Web site
will be made available in an alternative format on request to users who
are unable to download or view .pdf files on the Web.
To request an alternative
format, contact: Webmaster.
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