When women become pregnant, the foods we eat suddenly become more important and we worry about eating the right foods. Food borne illness is never fun, but can be very dangerous during pregnancy. One is a bacterium known as listeria.
Listeria can be found in many foods, including lunch meats, soft cheeses, pre cooked meat products, and prepackaged salads and cole slaw. It is most often found in processed foods.
In adults, listeria is generally not dangerous and many adults come in contact with the bacterium and never know it. The person may have flu like symptoms for a few days and think she has caught a virus. Some people will have no symptoms at all. Others may have worsening symptoms including fever, chills, headache, stiff neck and vomiting or stomach upset.
However, there are people for whom listeria is much more dangerous. This includes the elderly and unborn babies. Unborn babies are the population most at risk from coming in contact with listeria.
Listeria is very dangerous and can cause infection in the placenta, amniotic fluid and can infect the baby. Miscarriage or still birth can be the result of an untreated case of listeria. The baby may be born prematurely and can have problems ranging from blood infections and meningitis to trouble breathing, causing long term problems or even death of the newborn.
If you think you have been infected by listeria, get medical attention promptly. A blood test can confirm the presence of the bacterium. Treatment includes antibiotics and ultrasound to check the condition of the baby and look for any problems.
There are a few things you can do to reduce your risk of coming in contact with listeria. One is to limit the foods you eat that are most likely to contain listeria. If you can’t avoid all of them completely, limit the amount you eat and eat only very fresh foods.
You can also wash your salads well, keep foods in the refrigerator immediately after use and eat the food as soon as possible after purchase and definitely before the date listed on the package. Foods near or past their expiration date are far more likely to harbor listeria.
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