Pregnant women are about 10 times more likely to get listeriosis than other healthy adults. An estimated 1/6 of all Listeria cases occur in pregnant women.
Listeria can infect the placenta, the amniotic fluid, and the baby, and can cause miscarriage or stillbirth. Infected babies who survive are likely to be born prematurely.
An ultrasound can be used to check for an enlarged heart, thickened bowel, and increased thickness of the stomach walls, which may occur in some babies infected with Listeria. A blood test can also be performed on the baby after birth to detect whether the baby has been infected with Listeria.
Listeria can take advantage of this and cause the invasive listeriosis infection, with about one in six listeriosis cases (17%) in Australia occurring in pregnant women. The risk of infection seems to be highest in the third trimester.
The good news is that the probability of experiencing a problem from deli meats is very unlikely. Approximately 2,500 individuals will become infected with Listeria annually. This means it is extremely rare.
22% of cases of perinatal listeriosis result in stillbirth or neonatal death, which makes it crucial to get early treatment. With treatment of the illness, fetal infection and other complications can be avoided.
This particular listeria outbreak included samples from sick people that were collected from April 17, 2021, to Sept. 29, 2022. Seven infections took place in New York; three in Maryland, where one person died; two in Massachusetts; one in Illinois; one in New Jersey; and one in California.
An exposed pregnant woman with a fever higher than 38.1°C (100.6°F) and signs and symptoms consistent with listeriosis for whom no other cause of illness is known should be simultaneously tested and treated for presumptive listeriosis. Diagnosis is made primarily by blood culture.
Is listeriosis a serious disease? Most people with invasive listeriosis require hospital care, and about one in five people with the infection die. When listeriosis occurs during pregnancy, it can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, or newborn death.
2018. On 2 March 2018, the Australian National Focal Point (NFP) notified WHO of an outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes infection (listeriosis) associated with the consumption of rockmelons (cantaloupe) from a single grower.
Testing for listeria is usually done with a simple blood test. During pregnancy, ultrasounds may be used to detect symptoms of listeriosis in the baby.
If the infection occurs during the second or third trimester of pregnancy, 26% of cases could end up in stillbirths, uterine fetal loss, or abortion. LM tends to occur in late pregnancy.
Symptoms of intestinal illness usually start within 24 hours after eating food contaminated with Listeria and usually last 1–3 days. Symptoms are usually mild. However, some people with intestinal illness develop invasive illness.
Listeria monocytogenes is one of a select number of pathogens that can cross the placental barrier and cause significant harm to the fetus, leading to spontaneous abortion, stillbirth, preterm labor, and disseminated neonate infection despite antibiotic treatment.
Prewashed greens sometimes cause illness. But the commercial washing process removes most of the contamination that can be removed by washing. All other leafy greens should be thoroughly washed before eating, cutting, or cooking.
CDC estimates that listeriosis is the third leading cause of death from foodborne illness with about 260 deaths per year. Nearly everyone with listeriosis is hospitalized. The case-fatality rate is about 20%.
The Statistics at a Glance
Compared to other foodborne illnesses, listeriosis is rare but very serious. Even with adequate antibiotic treatment, the disease has a high mortality rate of 20 to 30 percent. Over 90 percent of people with listeriosis are hospitalized, often in intensive care units.
Listeriosis is most common in the third trimester (about 66% listeria infection happen during this time of pregnancy). Infection is rare in the second trimester and risk is extremely low in the first trimester.
As of September 28, 2022, six people infected with the outbreak strain of Listeria have been reported from six states (see map). Sick people's samples were collected from August 6, 2017, to August 5, 2022 (see timeline). Sick people range in age from 56 to 83 years, with a median age of 78, and 67% are female.
Outbreaks of Listeria infections in the 1990s were primarily linked to deli meats and hot dogs. Now, Listeria outbreaks are often linked to dairy products and produce. Investigators have traced recent outbreaks to soft cheeses, celery, sprouts, cantaloupe, and ice cream.
Listeria (Listeria monocytogenes) are bacteria that can cause serious illness and in some cases death, particularly in vulnerable people. In Australia each year around 150 people are hospitalised with listeriosis and about 15 people die.
Pregnant women are about 10 times more likely to get listeriosis than other healthy adults. An estimated 1/6 of all Listeria cases occur in pregnant women.
Hygiena™ InSite™ Listeria is an easy-to-use, self-contained, environmental Listeria species test. Each device contains a chromogenic liquid media formulated with antibiotics, growth enhancers, and color-changing compounds specific to Listeria species.
An estimated 1,600 people get listeriosis each year, and about 260 die. The infection is most likely to sicken pregnant women and their newborns, adults aged 65 or older, and people with weakened immune systems. Pregnant women are 10 times more likely than other people to get a Listeria infection.