infections
Listeriosis
Introduction
Listeriosis is infection caused by the Overview of Gram-Positive Bacteria , usually when contaminated food is eaten. People may consume the bacteria in contaminated dairy products or in raw milk, vegetables, meats, or refrigerated foods that require no cooking before they are eaten. People have a fever, chills, and muscle aches plus nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Listeriosis may cause pregnancy loss or preterm labor in pregnant women and severe illness or death in newborns. Identifying the bacteria in a sample of blood or cerebrospinal fluid confirms the diagnosis. Antibiotics can cure the infection. Prevention involves not eating foods that are likely to be contaminated, particularly if people are at risk of developing invasive listeriosis. (See also Overview of Bacteria and Listeria monocytogenesresides in the intestine of people and many animals worldwide. Most cases of listeriosis result from Eating contaminated food Listeriosis is usually acquired when contaminated food is eaten. In such cases,Listeriabacteria can enter the bloodstream and spread to other organs. Rarely,Listeriabacteria infect the skin of veterinarians, farmers, and other people who have direct contact with infected animals (particularly during slaughter and handling of carcasses). The bacteria grow in food at refrigerator temperatures and survive in the freezer. Pasteurization of dairy products destroys the bacteria. Adequate cooking or reheating of food kills the bacteria. However, they can reside in food-filled cracks and inaccessible areas in commercial food preparation facilities and recontaminate food. If the food requires no further cooking once purchased, the bacteria that remain are consumed with the food. They can grow in refrigerated, packaged, ready-to-eat products (that require no cooking before they are eaten) without changing the food’s taste or smell. Foods involved in previous outbreaks of listeriosis include soft cheeses (such as Latin American white cheeses, feta, Brie, and Camembert), delicatessen salads (such as cole slaw), unpasteurized milk, cold cuts, turkey franks, other hot dogs, shrimp, smoked salmon, and undercooked chicken. 