High risk persons should: avoid soft cheeses, such as Mexican cheese, feta, Brie, Camembert, and blue cheese.
A blood test is the most reliable way to find out if your symptoms are due to listeria.
Scientists are unsure, but they believe that this bacteria can cause upset stomach and intestinal problems just like other food-borne illnesses.
Pregnant women account for 27% of the cases and immunocompromised persons account for almost 70%.
A woman can pass the bacteria to her baby during pregnancy. Listeria, as it is commonly called, is a pathogen that is far more pervasive than other potentially deadly pathogens, such as E.coli. In the 1980s, the United States government began taking measures to decrease the occurrence of listeriosis. The organism can spread to the blood stream and central nervous system. Listeria infections may create symptoms such as fever, vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, difficulty breathing, and poor feeding.
The risk of listeriosis can be reduced by taking these precautions:
- Avoid drinking unpasteurized milk or foods made from such milk.
- Carefully wash raw vegetables before eating.
- Follow the instructions on food labels. Observe food expiration dates and storage conditions.
- Keep raw meat away from raw vegetables and prepared foods. After cutting raw meat, wash the cutting board with detergent before using it for vegetables.
People with AIDS are at 300 times more risk of serious illness from listeria than the general population. Fortunately, typical cooking temperatures and the pasteurization process do kill this bacteria. In the 1980s, the United States government began taking measures to decrease the occurrence of listeriosis.