Listeriosis
About
- Listeriosis is a serious infection usually caused by eating food contaminated with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes.
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- Pregnant women, the elderly or individuals with a weakened immune system, such as people with immuno-compromised status due to HIV, leukaemia, cancer, kidney transplant and steroid therapy, are at greatest risk of severe listeriosis
Types and Symptoms
There are two main types of listeriosis: a non-invasive form and an invasive form.
- Noninvasive listeriosis is a mild form of the disease affecting mainly otherwise healthy people.
- Symptoms include diarrhoea, fever, headache and myalgia (muscle pain).
- Invasive listeriosis is a more severe form of the disease and affects certain high risk groups of the population. These include pregnant women, patients undergoing treatment for cancer, HIV and organ transplants, elderly people and infants.
- This form of disease is characterized by severe symptoms and a high mortality rate.
- The symptoms include fever, myalgia (muscle pain), septicemia, meningitis.
Treatment
- Listeriosis can be treated if diagnosed early.
- Antibiotics are used to treat severe symptoms such as meningitis. When infection occurs during pregnancy, prompt administration of antibiotics prevents infection of the foetus or newborn.
Prevention
- L. monocytogenes in food are killed by pasteurisation and cooking.
- In general, guidance on the prevention of listeriosis is similar to guidance used to help prevent other foodborne illnesses. This includes practicing safe food handling and following the WHO Five Keys to Safer Food:
- Keep clean
- Separate raw and cooked
- Cook thoroughly
- Keep food at safe temperatures
- Use safe water and raw materials.
Why in news?
- Two separate outbreaks of listeria, a bacteria which can contaminate food, have been reported in the United States and Canada in recent weeks.
Sources
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