The bacteria listeria monocytogenes can cause a variety of symptoms in people who unknowingly consume it on food, from stomach and intestinal distress up to and including death. Listeriosis is a type of food poisoning and generally produces flu-like symptoms of diarrhea, fever and muscle aches and vomiting. Listeriosis is “invasive” sometimes, spreading beyond the gastrointestinal tract and causing headaches, stiff necks, confusion, and convulsions. Listeriosis commonly affects the elderly, pregnant women, newborns and young children, or adults with weaker immune systems.
How do you catch listeriosis?
People almost always get listeriosis by eating food contaminated with listeria bacteria. It is sometimes difficult to determine what food was contaminated, though, because it can take up to 2 months to develop symptoms after ingesting the bacteria. And, people with healthy immune systems may never get ill, while people who have weakened immune systems develop listeriosis after eating the same food.
Sadly, pregnant women are especially at risk from listeria infection. Pregnant women may experience only mild flu-like symptoms, but the infection leads to miscarriage, still birth or premature birth. According to the Centers for Disease Control, “Pregnant women are about 20 times more likely than other healthy adults to get listeriosis. About 1 in 6 cases of listeriosis occurs during pregnancy. Newborn babies suffer the most serious effects of infection in pregnancy.” Listeriosis is life-threatening to newborns.
In August and September of this year, 2011, at least 100 people in 19 states developed listeriosis after eating cantaloupes. At this time, 18 people have died from that outbreak. Cantaloupe has been recalled from a total of 24 states: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin, and Wyoming – though infected people who traveled may reside in other states. Because listeria is commonly found in soil and water, raw fruits and vegetables are a common source of outbreaks. Animals can carry the bacteria without showing symptoms and then infect meat and dairy products including milk and cheese. Hot dogs, deli meats and seafood have also accounted for spreading listeria. Listeria can be transmitted to hot dogs or other cooked products after they are cooked, and it can live and even multiply despite refrigeration.
How do I prevent listeriosis? Can it be cured?
For raw fruit and vegetables, the best thing you can do is wash and dry them thoroughly. Keep uncooked meat and poultry products away from other foods to prevent spreading listeria from those sources. And, always thoroughly cook meat and poultry to kill listeria and other bacteria like salmonella. Keep your refrigerator set at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or lower, and eat pre-cooked food within two weeks of purchase – or within a few days after the package has been opened. The Center for Disease Control has good information about listeria and other bacteria.
Listeriosis can be effectively treated with antibiotics. When a person becomes aware of a listeria outbreak involving a food he or she has consumed within a two month period, like the current one involving Jensen Farms/Rocky Ford brand cantaloupe, health monitoring is important. Any flu-like symptoms should result in a doctor’s visit right away. If no symptoms are observed, no testing is needed. But, even with treatment, some elderly people or people with weak immune systems will die from listeriosis.
If I have or have had listeriosis, or a family member has it, what should I do?
After getting treatment right away, you need to consider filing a lawsuit against the food company or restaurant that allowed the listeria contamination. Doctor visits, hospital stays and antibiotic treatment can be expensive and the cost should be paid by those at fault. For some people, extended hospital or nursing home stays can rack up tens of thousands of dollars in expenses. Infected people may also miss work and be entitled to compensation. At worst, the death of an individual due to listeriosis may entitle surviving family members to compensation for their loss.
If you or a loved one has experienced listeriosis, you should contact the attorneys at Johnson Law Group, who have wide experience in medical law and lawsuits. For more information, contact Nick Johnson and the Johnson Law Group at
1-888-311-5522.
