Listeria or Listeriosis and Pregnancy
Infections
Obie Editorial Team
Listeria is a bacterium (Listeria monocytogenes) that is common in the environment. It is carried by many farm animals and pets. You can be infected by listeria if you eat contaminated food. Some foods are riskier than others – the riskiest are those eaten raw or inadequately cooked.
Listeriosis the name of the infection caused by listeria. It is rare, but potentially serious, especially for a fetus or newborn.
Many people exposed to listeria remain healthy. Some have no symptoms, while others have vomiting and diarrhea, which is normally resolved without medical treatment.
But listeria can pass from the gut to other parts of the body such as the placenta and the brain. This type of listeria infection has a long incubation period (meaning it can take weeks or months after exposure for any symptoms to show).
In rare cases, listeria can cause serious and life-threatening blood poisoning (septicaemia), meningitis (inflammation around the brain) or encephalitis (infection of the brain).
While listeriosis can affect anyone, it’s particularly worrying for pregnant women because it can cause miscarriage, stillbirth or premature birth.
Newborn babies infected with listeria from their mother can become seriously ill with meningitis, blood poisoning or other infections. There are no records of women passing listeria to their babies through breastfeeding, however.
You should see your doctor if you think you might have listeriosis.
For example, if you:
Your doctor will discuss the foods you’ve eaten and probably take a sample of blood. Listeriosis is confirmed if laboratory tests find listeria growing in the sample.
The treatment of a listeria infection is with antibiotics. Prompt treatment can stop the infection from passing to your unborn baby.
The best way to avoid listeria infection is to avoid high-risk foods, and to follow hygienic food handling techniques.
Foods at high risk of carrying listeria include: