Risks of Listeriosis
During pregnancy, a woman should be careful with her eating habits to avoid catching a food-borne illness or getting food poisoning. One dangerous food-borne disease is listeriosis, a bacterial infection that can transfer from mother to unborn baby. If a pregnant woman develops listeriosis, she may suffer miscarriage, stillbirth, early delivery, or give birth to a baby who already has the infection.
The bacterium responsible for this sickness, Listeria monocytogenes, lives in soil and water. Thus, it can permeate just about every food group. Vegetables that are grown in soil with Listeria can carry the bacteria. Animals who are fed with contaminated food can also take up the virus. Their manure can spread the disease even more when used as fertilizer. Therefore, vegetables, meat, and dairy products can all carry the harmful bacteria.
Thankfully, it is easy to kill the bacterium with cooking or pasteurization. Thus, pregnant mothers should avoid raw, undercooked, and unpasteurized foods. Even pre-cooked items such as deli meat, smoked fish, and hot dogs can become contaminated after cooking but before packaging, so it is a good idea to reheat these foods to safe temperatures before you eat them.
Symptoms of Listeriosis
Because listeriosis can be difficult to detect, it is important to listen to your body, especially if you are pregnant. Signs of a bacterial infection include:
- Fever
- Stiff neck
- Headache
- Muscle aches
- Nausea
- Vomiting
Doctors should take a bacterial culture to see if you do indeed have listeriosis, because it can be deadly if left untreated. The American Pregnancy Association estimates that 22% of prenatal cases of Listeria end in stillbirth or death.
Contact Us
If your doctor fails to properly diagnose listeriosis, it can result in the death of your baby. For more information on birth injury law, contact the Philadelphia birth injury attorneys of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C., today by calling 215-238-1130.