Food Poisoning Lawyer & Attorney : Marler Clark : Food Poison Blog

North Carolina health officials announced that at least three pregnant women recently suffered the effects of listeriosis, the illness caused by the ingestion of Listeria monocytogenes - a foodborne pathogen. 

It is believed that ingestion of as few as 1,000 cells of Listeria bacteria can result in illness. After ingestion of food contaminated with Listeria, incubation periods for infection are in the range of 3 to 70 days, usually 4 to 21 days.

Five days to three weeks after ingestion, Listeria has access to all body areas and may involve the central nervous system, heart, eyes, or other locations.4 Fetuses of pregnant women are particularly vulnerable to the Listeria bacterium. A person with listeriosis usually has fever, muscle aches, and gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea or diarrhea. If infection spreads to the nervous system, symptoms such as headache, stiff neck, loss of balance, confusion, obtundation or convulsions can occur. With brain involvement, listeriosis may mimic a stroke.

Infected pregnant women will ordinarily experience only a mild, flu-like illness; however, infection during pregnancy can lead to miscarriage, infection of the newborn, or even stillbirth. The perinatal and neonatal mortality rate is 80%.

The News & Observer reported on the listeriosis cases, which at this point are reportedly not related.

Two North Carolina women, including one in Durham County, suffered stillbirths and a third delivered prematurely after consuming foods tainted with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes, state public health officials said today.

The three cases, which included a stillbirth in Mecklenberg County and a premature birth in Moore County, are considered unrelated, according to the N.C. Division of Public Health.

The infections are thought to be linked to soft, unpasteurized cheeses popular in Hispanic cuisine. All three women are Hispanic.

Another pregnant woman in Buncombe County lost her baby to what public health officials suspect is a fourth case of listeriosis. The ethnicity of that woman is unknown.

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The Times-Argus of Barre and Montpelier, Vermont, featured an article about Listeria monocytogenes, a foodborne pathogen.  The article focuses on the need for specific populations (i.e. pregnant women, elderly people) to be aware of the risks Listeria poses to them, and on the importance of public knowledge about Listeria since it is present in many environments and can be a contaminant in processed foods.

Listeria emerged as a serious contamination problem in meat and poultry products in the 1980s. By 1999, an especially virulent strain of L. monocytogenes had evolved, alarming health officials and prompting them to urge food producers to clean up their act. When another disastrous outbreak occurred in 2002, the inspection service concluded that voluntary measures were not enough and more stringent regulations were needed.

Although the "interim final rule" for ready-to-eat meat and poultry products issued in 2003 has helped control exposure to the bacteria, it has clearly not eliminated it. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 2,500 people become seriously ill with listeriosis each year, and 500 people die of it.

Last year, in a further effort to protect the public, the Food and Drug Administration approved using an antiseptic spray to help control contamination of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products. The spray contains a mix of six bacteriophages, otherwise harmless viruses that destroy L. monocytogenes. Consumers cannot tell, however, whether this spray has been used, which means those at risk of serious listeria infections should continue to follow the guidelines below.

More about Listeria can be learned at about-listeria.com.

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