Listeria infection

Listeria infection

This test can be carried out in our gynecologist's practice at the beginning and, if necessary, during the course of pregnancy to detect any risk to the child from a listeriosis infection. The infection occurs through dirt and smear infection or infected food. To prevent a listeriosis infection, unwashed fruit, raw meat and raw milk and dairy products should be avoided. Please wash your hands thoroughly.

Listeriosis is a rare infectious disease that is harmless for healthy adults, but can be dangerous for pregnant women, small children, the elderly and immunocompromised people. Listeria is one of the bacteria that can cross the placental barrier and cause a serious infection in the fetus. Pregnant women are 10 times more susceptible to listeria. Pregnant women in particular should therefore follow the recommendations for avoiding contact with the bacteria.

Pregnant women and healthy adults usually do not notice an infection. Symptoms may include a mild flu with chills, low back pain, pharyngitis or swelling of the lymph nodes, occasionally with diarrhea.

The early form of listeriosis can lead to an intrauterine infection with severe damage to the fetus. Miscarriages and premature births can be the result. Towards the end of pregnancy, the risk of transmission to the child is particularly high.

The late form usually occurs two to four weeks after the birth of the child as meningitis. The children are apathetic, lazy to drink and often show a rash spread over the whole body. Seizures may occur.

The bacteria are found in soil, compost and sewage. Listeria enter farm animals via the food chain, so that meat and meat products, milk and dairy products are also affected.

Soft cheese is colonized to about 10 %, salami up to 80 %, when these foods are sold. Cooking and frying the food reliably eliminates the listeria, unless they survive in cold islands, as happens when food is improperly reheated in the microwave. As listeria can also multiply at refrigerator temperature, pregnant women should avoid high-risk foods wherever possible and never store uncooked high-risk foods in the refrigerator for long periods of time.

Freshly opened tinned food, freshly boiled and heated food, freshly pasteurized milk, hard cheese, yoghurt, raw carrots and raw tomatoes pose a low risk of infection. Cold cuts, mussels and seafood, green salad, opened mayonnaise and salad dressings, on the other hand, often contain listeria.

Raw milk cheese in particular poses a risk because this cheese is a product made from untreated milk from cows, sheep and goats. Eating a long-ripened, hard raw milk cheese such as Edam or Emmental is less of a risk than eating a fresh raw milk cheese made directly from curd. Fresh soft cheeses are more likely to contain harmful germs than hard cheeses that have been stored for months. There are many different types of cheese that can be made from both pasteurized milk and raw milk.

Please check the information on the packaging or ask at the counter when buying whether the cheese is made from raw milk.

The following types of cheese are often made from raw milk:

• Emmental and Gouda
• Brie and Camembert
• Sheep's milk cheese
• Vacherin and Romadur
• Sour milk cheese
• Soft goat's cheese and feta
• Blue cheese such as Roquefort

To avoid the risk of listeriosis, you should observe the following tips:

• wash your hands frequently
• Cook food properly
• Clean the fridge regularly
• the refrigerator should always be kept at a temperature of less than 4° Celsius