Listeriosis During Pregnancy: What You Should Know
Eating raw, uncooked food can lead to listeria infection. For this reason, pregnant women should always try to cook food and opt for pasteurized dairy.
Listeriosis is a bacterial infection caused by the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes . Although it is rare in healthy people, in risk groups such as pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems it can be very serious.
In this article, we tell you everything you need to know about listeriosis and pregnancy.
Listeriosis
Listeria or literiosis infection is a foodborne illness. It is the infection by a bacterium that normally inhabits nature and that can cause animals to be carriers, in addition to contaminating vegetables and vegetables.
For these reasons, listeria can be found in:
- Raw meat and fish
- Raw fruits, vegetables and greens
- Unpasteurized dairy
- Processed foods
- Smoked fish
However, cooking and pasteurization can kill the bacteria, so risk groups are advised to cook meats and vegetables and avoid consuming unpasteurized milk, cheese or other dairy.
On the other hand, we must also bear in mind that listeria can appear even after the products are cooked. Indeed, it can appear and infect them after cooking and before being packaged or consumed. For this reason, ready-to-eat foods (sausages, cold cuts, cold cuts) can also be potentially dangerous.
In addition, this bacterium is able to survive freezing and refrigeration, and can be transmitted from the mother to the fetus, being highly dangerous for it. For this reason, it is essential that the mother maintains certain measures in order to avoid infection.
Types of listeriosis
Listeriosis is one of the most serious foodborne diseases, although fortunately it is rare (according to the WHO, 0.1 to 10 cases per year). However, despite the small number of cases, it has a high mortality rate. For this reason, its prevention is of the utmost importance.
There are two types of literiosis:
- Noninvasive. It is a mild form of infection that causes febrile listeria gastroenteritis. It usually affects healthy people and, although it is not serious, it can be so for risk groups, among which are pregnant women.
- Invasively. This type of listeriosis is highly dangerous, with a mortality rate that can reach 20% or 30%. In fact, its symptoms include fever, muscle pain, septicemia, and even meningitis.
As for their respective incubation periods, in both cases it is usually one to two weeks. However, it can even extend to three months, so it can be really difficult to detect the infection in time.
Listeriosis and pregnancy
Listeriosis is especially dangerous during pregnancy, and not just for the mother. Indeed, the infection can be passed to the fetus, which is especially vulnerable. In this way, it can cause:
- Spontaneous abortion
- Premature delivery
- Infection of the fetus or newborn
- Death of the fetus or newborn (approximately 22% of perinatal listeriosis cases end in the death of the fetus or newborn).
As we mentioned earlier, symptoms usually appear after consuming the contaminated product. Thus, days later, among the symptoms may be observed:
- Fever
- Muscle pains
- Vomiting
- Sickness
- Headache
The infection can appear at any time during pregnancy. However, it is more normal for it to appear during the last trimester, since the mother’s immune system may be slightly weakened.
Regarding treatment, it is better to start it as soon as possible. In this sense, if symptoms appear, you should go immediately to the doctor who, through a simple blood test, will be able to determine if you have listeria infection. From there, treatment consists of antibiotics that will also help prevent infection of the fetus.
Prevention
In general, WHO proposes 5 keys to food safety:
- Keep clean. It is important to wash the products well, wash your hands before cooking, as well as keep the kitchen and refrigerator clean.
- Separate raw and cooked foods. That is, avoid cross contamination between them.
- Cook thoroughly. Cooking above 70ºC has been proven to contribute to food safety. However, we must bear in mind that some require special attention (for example, minced meats).
- Keep food at safe temperatures. To do this, we must avoid leaving cooked food for more than two hours at room temperature. Likewise, we must not defrost them outside the refrigerator and, always, respect the expiration dates.
- Use safe water and raw materials. It is recommended to avoid processed and packaged foods.
In the case of listeria, since it can be found in uncooked and unpasteurized food, prevention measures will be aimed at avoiding the consumption of this type of product.
Thus, in addition to the above measures, pregnant women should:
- Avoid consuming unpasteurized milk and dairy (including soft cheeses).
- Heat processed cold cuts and cold cuts (for example, sausages) to at least 70ºC before consuming.
- Avoid eating smoked fish and meat.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator before they are at room temperature for more than two hours. Also, consume them after, at most, 2 or 3 days.
- Read product labels and follow storage guidelines.
Conclution
Ultimately, listeriosis is a rare infection, but we should not stop applying certain measures to avoid it. In addition, in the case of pregnant women, special care must be taken, as the effects on the fetus could be fatal.
Correct hygiene measures should be maintained and processed meat and fish, unpasteurized dairy and raw foods (especially meats, vegetables and vegetables) should be avoided. Finally, as soon as the symptoms are observed, the pregnant woman should see a doctor to start treatment as soon as possible.
