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Listeriosis is an infection caused by the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes that can occur in pregnant women, neonates, and patients with compromised immune systems (such as the elderly, AIDS patients, diabetics, etc.), which can be serious or difficult to control in many cases.
Listeria monocytogenes is found in many places. Fresh water and sewage, soil, vegetation, pets, etc.
Listeria monocytogenes is dangerous when it is found in food. The cases of outbreaks of listeriosis are always associated with the consumption of food, most of the times bottled, which were contaminated by the bacteria in question (sausages, cheeses, smoked products, unpasteurized products). Since a person ingests Listeria until the disease develops, it can take two to six weeks, which makes it difficult to identify exactly which food was contaminated.
The people most vulnerable to Listeria monocytogenes are the following: Elderly; Diabetics poorly controlled or with many years of disease evolution; Pregnant Neonates; Patients with solid or haematological cancer, both for the cancer itself and for the chemotherapy treatment it entails; AIDS patients; Patients on chronic treatment with corticosteroids; Patients with liver or kidney.
The infection by listeriosis in a pregnant woman does not have a characteristic clinical picture or a considerable severity for the pregnant woman. It usually occurs in the third trimester and appears as a mild illness with not very high fever, joint and muscle pain, and malaise. It is often confused with a viral picture, and is rarely diagnosed.
The importance of Listeria infection in pregnancy is linked to the risk of infecting the fetus through the placenta. When this happens it can cause an abortion due to intrauterine fetal death, which in the last trimester of pregnancy is a very dramatic situation for the pregnant woman and her family. In other cases, Listeria will cause other diseases, which will manifest in the baby after childbirth.
The measures that must be adopted to prevent listeriosis or infection by Listeria are:
· People who present a viral picture should not handle food in the industry or restaurants, or of course at home.
· Always wash your hands thoroughly before handling food. Extreme hygiene in your kitchen and in the utensils you use to prepare food.
· Read carefully and follow the instructions for preserving packaged foods.
· Cook food at high temperatures by any means (iron, cooking, microwave …).
· If you consume raw products (sushi type), do it only in places that offer total quality assurance.
· Store the milk and derivatives in the refrigerator at less than 5ºC. The Listeria is able to survive at low temperatures, so you should not consume unpasteurized milk.
· Thoroughly wash fruits and vegetables before consuming them, especially those grown biologically.
· If you are pregnant, immediately consult your doctor if you notice symptoms similar to a cold, headache, fever, muscle aches, nausea and vomiting.
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