Also called: Also called: Listeriosis
Listeriosis is a foodborne illness caused by Listeria monocytogenes, bacteria found in soil and water. It can be in a variety of raw foods as well as in processed foods and foods made from unpasteurized milk. Listeria is unlike many other germs because it can grow even in the cold temperature of the refrigerator.
Symptoms include fever and chills, headache, upset stomach and vomiting. Anyone can get the illness. But it is most likely to affect pregnant women and unborn babies, older adults, and people with weak immune systems. To reduce your risk
- Use precooked and ready-to-eat foods as soon as you can
- Avoid raw milk and raw milk products
- Heat ready-to-eat foods and leftovers until they are steaming hot
- Wash fresh fruits and vegetables
- Avoid rare meat and seafood
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Listeria(Food and Drug Administration) - http://www.fda.gov/womens/getthefacts/listeria.html
Also available in Spanish http://www.fda.gov/womens/getthefacts/spanish/listeria-spanish.html
- Listeriosis(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/nczved/dfbmd/disease_listing/listeriosis_gi.html
- Listeria Infection (Listeriosis)(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/listeria-infection/DS00963/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
- Preventing Listeria Contamination in Foods(Food and Drug Administration) - http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2004/104_bac.html
- Article: Tissue culture cell assays used to analyze Listeria monocytogenes. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18770595&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Promises and challenges for the development of Listeria monocytogenes-based immunotherapies. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18767955&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Animal models of Listeria infection. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18729060&tool=MedlinePlus
- Listeria Infections -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=listeria[majr]+OR+listeria+infections[majr]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+english[la]+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition - http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/
- Dept. of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service - http://www.fsis.usda.gov/
- National Center for Zoonotic, Vector-Borne, and Enteric Diseases, Division of Foodborne, Bacterial and Mycotic Diseases(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/nczved/dfbmd/
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National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
- http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/
- Report Finds Listeria Rule Sparks Major Industry Changes(Dept. of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service) - http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/NR_120104_01/
- Listeria Infections(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/infections/bacterial_viral/listeria.html
- Food Safety for Moms to Be: While You're Pregnant - Listeria(Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition) - http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~pregnant/whillist.html
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Protect Your Baby and Yourself from Listeriosis(Dept. of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service) - http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/Protect_Your_Baby/index.asp
Also available in Spanish http://www.fsis.usda.gov/fact_sheets/protect_your_baby_spanish/index.asp
- Food Contamination and Poisoning - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/foodcontaminationandpoisoning.html
- Infections - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/infections.html
The primary NIH organization for research on Listeria Infections is the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases - http://www.niaid.nih.gov/