Listeriosis and pregnancy
What is listeriosis?
Listeriosis is a food poisoning caused by eating foods contaminated with the listeria monocytogenes bacterium. In pregnant women, the infection can result in premature delivery, miscarriage, serious infection of the newborn, or even stillbirth.
Listeriosis affects mainly pregnant women, newborns, the elderly, and adults with impaired immune systems. Healthy adults and children sometimes can be infected with L. monocytogenes, but they rarely become seriously ill. Babies can be born with listeriosis if their mothers eat contaminated food during pregnancy.
Here is a list of foods that should be avoided during pregnancy to ensure listeriosis does not harm your baby:
- Processed foods, such as soft cheeses and cold cuts, can be contaminated after processing. Do not eat hot dogs, luncheon meats, or deli meats, unless they are reheated until steaming hot.
- Do not eat soft cheeses unless the label states they are made from pasteurized milk. Common cheeses typically made with unpasteurized milk-such as feta, brie, camembert, blue-veined cheeses, and Mexican-style cheeses such as “queso blanco fresco” — can cause listeriosis. You can have hard cheeses and semisoft cheeses such as mozzarella along with pasteurized processed cheese slices and spreads, cream cheese, and cottage cheese.
- Animals can carry the bacteria and can contaminate meats. Be sure to cook all meats thoroughly to kill bacteria.
- Unpasteurized (raw) milk or foods made from unpasteurized milk can be contaminated.
- Vegetables can become contaminated from the soil or from manure used as fertilizer. Wash all fruits and veggies before eating.
Detection is found through blood test or spinal fluid, if your doctor has any concerns about the foods in your diet or that they may have caused you to contract the bacteria. Once diagnosed antibiotics are given to protect the unborn fetus or newborn.
Check out the CDC’s website for other infections that can be harmful to you and your unborn fetus and learn how to avoid them.
