Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Syndicate. Minus Related Pages. Pregnant women : Pregnant women typically experience only fever and other flu-like symptoms, such as fatigue and muscle aches. However, infections during pregnancy can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery, or life-threatening infection of the newborn. People other than pregnant women : Symptoms can include headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions in addition to fever and muscle aches. Pregnant Women.
Older Adults. Cases involving a blood infection have a fairly short incubation period, with a median of 2 days. For cases involving encephalitis or meningitis, the incubation period is longer, with a median of 9 days. There is also a skin form of listeriosis that results from intact skin coming into direct contact with the bacteria. The skin form is rare and mostly seen in people with at-risk jobs, such as veterinarians or farmers, who are exposed to sick animals or diseased tissues, especially after an animal has a pregnancy loss caused by L.
Signs of disease are mainly seen in ruminants, such as cattle, goats, and sheep. Sheep are particularly sensitive to the bacteria. Listeriosis is one of the most common causes of encephalitis inflammation of the brain in adult ruminants. Infected animals most commonly show severe neurologic signs, such as loss of balance, circling, and unusual body spasms. Fever, loss of appetite, and decreased activity level are also usually seen.
Some ruminant herds have had large numbers of late-term pregnancy losses. Newborn ruminants typically develop a blood infection. Listeriosis in ruminants most often occurs in the winter and early spring and is likely caused by the animals eating spoiled silage.
Listeriosis is more common in rabbits and rodents than dogs and cats. Rabbits and chinchillas South American rodents are particularly sensitive to the bacteria. The disease usually causes a blood infection.
Pregnancy loss and uterine inflammation are also common, especially in chinchillas. These reproductive problems are often associated with gastrointestinal signs, such as diarrhea or constipation. Large outbreaks of listeriosis have been seen in captive rabbits and rodents. The source of infection in these outbreaks was thought to be contaminated food.
However, more serious signs are possible, such as fever, muscle pain, breathing problems, pregnancy loss, and even death. This means that even if the pets appear healthy, they can still shed L.
For example, cats can spread L. One way dogs can spread the bacteria is when they have stool accidents inside the home. Pet waste from both sick and healthy pets can be a source of infection for people.
Animal feed and pet food are recalled for various reasons, including for the presence of Listeria. CVM Kid's Page. The Statistics at a Glance Compared to other foodborne illnesses, listeriosis is rare but very serious. Back to the top Characteristics L. The bacteria can contaminate a variety of food, such as: Raw meat; Ready-to-eat processed meat such as hot dogs and deli meat both factory-sealed packages and products sold at deli counters ; Raw vegetables; Refrigerated pates; Ready-to-eat smoked seafood and raw seafood; Prepared or stored salads, including coleslaw and fresh fruit salad; Melons; Soft cheeses made with unpasteurized milk; and Unpasteurized milk and milk products.
Back to the top Listeriosis in People Listeriosis occurs almost exclusively in pregnant women, newborns, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems such as those with cancer or other diseases. Table 1: Comparison of Early- and Late-onset Listeriosis in Newborns Early-onset listeriosis Late-onset listeriosis Baby Usually premature Usually full-term and healthy Mother Recent flu-like illness before delivery No signs of illness before delivery Source of infection In utero from L.
Supporting References. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. Information for health professionals and laboratories. Accessed Jun 7, Pathogenesis of bacterial infections in animals. Ames, Iowa: Blackwell Publishing, ; Risk assessment of Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat foods: technical report.
Microbiological risk assessment series; no. Available at: www. Accessed Jun 2, Food and Drug Administration website. Food safety for pregnant women. Food Safety and Inspection Service website. Protect your baby and yourself from listeriosis. What is the incubation period for listeriosis?
BMC Infect Dis ; Animal models of listeriosis: a comparative review of the current state of the art and lessons learned. Vet Res ; It is rare, but potentially serious, especially for a fetus or newborn. Each year in Australia, about people are hospitalised due to listeriosis, and a small number die.
Many people exposed to listeria remain healthy. Some have no symptoms, while others have vomiting and diarrhoea, 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.
Symptoms of these serious conditions include:. 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. 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. If you do develop listeriosis, you'll be treated 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. Click here for more information on food to avoid when pregnant. Remember that even if you have only mild symptoms, listeria can have a serious effect on your baby. See your doctor if you have any concerns about listeria while pregnant. You can also call Pregnancy Birth and Baby on to speak with a maternal child health nurse.
Learn more here about the development and quality assurance of healthdirect content. Read more on NSW Health website. Read more on Queensland Health website. Listeria infection also known as listeriosis is a rare but potentially severe illness caused by Listeria monocytogenes bacteria. Read more on WA Health website. Foods you should avoid, listeriosis information, mercury in fish, weight gain in pregnancy. Read more on NT Health website.
Listeria bacteria can cause serious problems during pregnancy. Listeria can be transmitted by eating contaminated food, but there are steps you can take to avoid infection. Read more on myDr website.
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