Listeriosis is a serious infection usually caused by eating food contaminated with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes. An estimated 1,600 people get listeriosis each year, and about 260 die. The infection is most likely to sicken pregnant women and their newborns, adults aged 65 or older, and people with weakened immune systems. Signs and symptoms of […]
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Cancer refers to any one of a large number of diseases characterized by the development of abnormal cells that divide uncontrollably and have the ability to infiltrate and destroy normal body tissue. Cancer often has the ability to spread throughout your body. Cancer is the second-leading cause of death in the world. But survival rates […]
Listeriosis is a serious infection usually caused by eating food contaminated with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes. An estimated 1,600 people get listeriosis each year, and about 260 die. The infection is most likely to sicken pregnant women and their newborns, adults aged 65 or older, and people with weakened immune systems. Signs and symptoms of […]
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Cancer refers to any one of a large number of diseases characterized by the development of abnormal cells that divide uncontrollably and have the ability to infiltrate and destroy normal body tissue. Cancer often has the ability to spread throughout your body. Cancer is the second-leading cause of death in the world. But survival rates […]
Listeriosis is a serious infection usually caused by eating food contaminated with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes. An estimated 1,600 people get listeriosis each year, and about 260 die. The infection is most likely to sicken pregnant women and their newborns, adults aged 65 or older, and people with weakened immune systems.
Signs and symptoms of Listeria infection vary depending on the person infected and the part of the body affected.
Invasive means bacteria have spread beyond the intestines (gut). Invasive listeriosis happens when Listeria have spread beyond the intestines.
Symptoms of invasive illness usually start within 2 weeks after eating food contaminated with Listeria.
Symptoms of invasive illness
People who are pregnant
Symptoms typically include
Fever
Flu-like symptoms, such as muscle aches and fatigue
People who are not pregnant
Symptoms typically include
Fever
Flu-like symptoms, such as muscle aches and fatigue
Headache
Stiff neck
Confusion
Loss of balance
Seizures
Severity of invasive illness
People who are pregnant
Symptoms in pregnant people are usually mild. Some pregnant people never have symptoms.
However, infection during pregnancy usually leads to miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery, or life-threatening infection of the newborn.
People who are not pregnant
Symptoms in non-pregnant people can be severe.
Almost 1 in 20 non-pregnant people with invasive listeriosis die.
Intestinal illness
Listeria can also cause an intestinal illness. This kind of illness is rarely diagnosed because laboratories do not regularly test patient stool (poop) samples for Listeria.
Symptoms of intestinal illness usually start within 24 hours after eating food contaminated with Listeria and usually last 1–3 days.
Symptoms of intestinal illness
Symptoms typically include
Diarrhea
Vomiting
Severity of intestinal illness
Symptoms are usually mild.
However, some people with intestinal illness develop invasive illness.
Diagnosis and Treatment
Listeriosis is usually diagnosed when a bacterial culture (a type of laboratory test) grows Listeria from a body tissue or fluid, such as blood, spinal fluid, or the placenta.
Treatment
Invasive illness: People with an invasive illness are treated with antibiotics.
Intestinal illness: Most people recover from intestinal illness without antibiotic treatment. Antibiotics are needed only for patients who are very ill or at risk of becoming very ill. People who have an intestinal illness should drink extra fluids while they have diarrhea.
Prevent Listeria
Listeria is a harmful germ that can be in food. Find out which foods are more likely to be contaminated with Listeria and ways you can protect your health and the health of your loved ones.
If you are in any of these groups, choose safer foods to protect your health or your pregnancy:
Do not eat
Choose these instead
Eat this, not that
• Unpasteurized soft cheeses, such as queso fresco and brie
•Unheated cheeses sliced at a deli
• Hard cheeses, such as cheddar and parmesan
•Cottage cheese, cream cheese, string cheese, feta, and mozzarella
•Pasteurized soft cheeses heated to an internal temperature of 165°F or until steaming hot
•Deli-sliced cheeses heated to 165°F or until steaming hot
• Unheated deli meat, cold cuts, hot dogs, and fermented or dry sausages
• Deli meat, cold cuts, hot dogs, and fermented or dry sausages reheated to 165°F or until steaming hot
• Premade deli salads, such as coleslaw and potato, tuna, or chicken salad
• Homemade deli salads
• Refrigerated pâté or meat spreads
• Pâté or meat spreads in sealed, airtight containers that don’t need to be kept refrigerated before opening
• Refrigerated smoked fish
• Smoked fish in sealed, airtight packages or containers that don’t need to be kept refrigerated before opening
•Smoked fish cooked in a casserole or other cooked dishes
• Raw or lightly cooked sprouts
• Sprouts cooked until steaming hot
• Cut melon left out for more than 2 hours (1 hour if it’s exposed to temperatures hotter than 90°F, such as a picnic or hot car)
•Cut melon in refrigerator for more than a week
• Melon that has just been cut
• Raw (unpasteurized) milk, yogurt, and ice cream
• Pasteurized milk, yogurt, and ice cream
Because of recent outbreaks, CDC is currently working to understand the risk of Listeria infection from enoki mushrooms. While this work is happening, CDC advises people who are pregnant, aged 65 or older, or have a weakened immune system to not eat raw enoki mushrooms. Instead, cook enoki mushrooms thoroughly, and ask that restaurants cook them thoroughly.
Foods more likely to be contaminated with Listeria
Listeria is a hardy germ that can be difficult to fully remove from food processing facilities. If a facility has Listeria germs, the germs can spread to food that touches contaminated equipment or surfaces. Listeria can also spread from contaminated food to surfaces. It can even grow on foods kept in the refrigerator. The good news is that Listeria is easily killed by heating food to a high enough temperature.
Find out why some foods are more likely to be contaminated with Listeria and learn about recent outbreaks linked to these foods.
Soft cheeses, such as queso fresco and brie
Soft cheeses are more likely than hard cheeses to be contaminated with Listeria because of their high moisture, low salt content, and low acidity. These conditions support the growth of Listeria. Soft cheeses made with unpasteurized milk or made in facilities with unclean conditions are even more likely to be contaminated. Although pasteurizing milk kills germs, cheese made with pasteurized milk can still get contaminated during cheese-making.
Soft cheeses include queso fresco, queso blanco, queso panela, brie, camembert, and blue-veined.
Hard cheeses include asiago, cheddar, emmental, gruyere, parmesan, and swiss cheese.
Meats, cheeses, and salads from the deli
Products sold at the deli, especially those sliced or prepared at the deli, can be contaminated with Listeria. Listeria spreads easily among deli equipment, surfaces, hands, and food. Deli products are kept refrigerated, but refrigeration does not kill Listeria.
Examples of deli salads include coleslaw, potato salad, tuna salad, and chicken salad.
Deli meats, cold cuts, hot dogs, and fermented or dry sausages
Deli meats, cold cuts, hot dogs, and fermented or dry sausages can be contaminated with Listeria when they are made or prepared at facilities where Listeria persists. Although cooking, fermenting, or drying kills germs, these meats can get contaminated afterwards if they touch surfaces with Listeria. Refrigeration does not kill Listeria, but reheating before eating will kill any germs that may be on these meats.
Examples of fermented or dry sausages include chorizo, pepperoni, salami, and summer sausage.
Pâté or meat spreads
Refrigerated pâté or meat spreads can become contaminated with Listeria when they are made in a facility where Listeria persists. Refrigeration does not kill Listeria.
” pâté or meat spreads. These are heat-treated to kill any germs and sealed in airtight containers (such as cans, tins, or glass jars). They don’t need to be refrigerated before opening.
Cold-smoked fish
Cold-smoked fish can become contaminated with Listeria when it is made in a facility where Listeria persists. The cold-smoking process does not kill Listeria. Refrigeration also does not kill Listeria.
” smoked fish or cooked smoked fish. Shelf-stable smoked fish are heat-treated to kill any germs and sealed in airtight containers or packages that don’t need to be refrigerated before opening. Cooking smoked fish also kills any germs that may be in it.
Cold-smoked fish products are often labeled as “nova-style,” “lox,” “kippered,” “smoked,” or “jerky.”
Sprouts
Sprouts need warm and humid conditions to grow. These conditions are also ideal for the growth of Listeria and other harmful germs. Germs can grow on the inside and outside of sprouts, so washing them does not remove all germs. Homegrown sprouts can also have germs because they need the same conditions to grow.
Melons
Melons are more likely than many other fruits to be contaminated with Listeria. This is because they have low acidity and can be kept in the refrigerator for a long time. Both these conditions support the growth of Listeria.
Raw (unpasteurized) milk and raw milk products
Raw milk is milk that has not been pasteurized. Pasteurization heats milk to a high enough temperature for a long enough time to kill germs that can make you sick.
Raw milk and products made from it – including ice cream and yogurt – can contain Listeria and other harmful germs. These germs can get into raw milk in multiple ways, including unclean conditions at the dairy farm and contact with animal poop.
CDC recommends that everyone choose pasteurized milk and dairy products.
People at Risk
CDC estimates that Listeria is the third leading cause of death from foodborne illness, or food poisoning, in the United States. An estimated 1,600 people get sick from Listeria each year, and about 260 die.
Listeria is most likely to sicken pregnant women and their newborns, adults aged 65 or older, and people with weakened immune systems. Other people can be infected with Listeria, but they rarely become seriously ill.
Who has a greater chance of Listeria infection?
Pregnant Hispanic women are 24 times more likely than the general population to get Listeria infection.
Las mujeres hispanas embarazadas tienen 24 veces mayor que la población general de contraer la infección por Listeria.
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Cancer refers to any one of a large number of diseases characterized by the development of abnormal cells that divide uncontrollably and have the ability to infiltrate and destroy normal body tissue. Cancer often has the ability to spread throughout your body.
Cancer is the second-leading cause of death in the world. But survival rates are improving for many types of cancer, thanks to improvements in cancer screening, treatment and prevention.
Symptoms
Signs and symptoms caused by cancer will vary depending on what part of the body is affected.
Some general signs and symptoms associated with, but not specific to, cancer, include:
Fatigue
Lump or area of thickening that can be felt under the skin
Weight changes, including unintended loss or gain
Skin changes, such as yellowing, darkening or redness of the skin, sores that won’t heal, or changes to existing moles
Changes in bowel or bladder habits
Persistent cough or trouble breathing
Difficulty swallowing
Hoarseness
Persistent indigestion or discomfort after eating
Persistent, unexplained muscle or joint pain
Persistent, unexplained fevers or night sweats
Unexplained bleeding or bruising
When to see a doctor
Make an appointment with your doctor if you have any persistent signs or symptoms that concern you.
If you don’t have any signs or symptoms, but are worried about your risk of cancer, discuss your concerns with your doctor. Ask about which cancer screening tests and procedures are appropriate for you.
Causes
Cancer is caused by changes (mutations) to the DNA within cells. The DNA inside a cell is packaged into a large number of individual genes, each of which contains a set of instructions telling the cell what functions to perform, as well as how to grow and divide. Errors in the instructions can cause the cell to stop its normal function and may allow a cell to become cancerous.
What do gene mutations do?
A gene mutation can instruct a healthy cell to:
Allow rapid growth. A gene mutation can tell a cell to grow and divide more rapidly. This creates many new cells that all have that same mutation.
Fail to stop uncontrolled cell growth. Normal cells know when to stop growing so that you have just the right number of each type of cell. Cancer cells lose the controls (tumor suppressor genes) that tell them when to stop growing. A mutation in a tumor suppressor gene allows cancer cells to continue growing and accumulating.
Make mistakes when repairing DNA errors. DNA repair genes look for errors in a cell’s DNA and make corrections. A mutation in a DNA repair gene may mean that other errors aren’t corrected, leading cells to become cancerous.
These mutations are the most common ones found in cancer. But many other gene mutations can contribute to causing cancer.
What causes gene mutations?
Gene mutations can occur for several reasons, for instance:
Gene mutations you’re born with. You may be born with a genetic mutation that you inherited from your parents. This type of mutation accounts for a small percentage of cancers.
Gene mutations that occur after birth. Most gene mutations occur after you’re born and aren’t inherited. A number of forces can cause gene mutations, such as smoking, radiation, viruses, cancer-causing chemicals (carcinogens), obesity, hormones, chronic inflammation and a lack of exercise.
Gene mutations occur frequently during normal cell growth. However, cells contain a mechanism that recognizes when a mistake occurs and repairs the mistake. Occasionally, a mistake is missed. This could cause a cell to become cancerous.
How do gene mutations interact with each other?
The gene mutations you’re born with and those that you acquire throughout your life work together to cause cancer.
For instance, if you’ve inherited a genetic mutation that predisposes you to cancer, that doesn’t mean you’re certain to get cancer. Instead, you may need one or more other gene mutations to cause cancer. Your inherited gene mutation could make you more likely than other people to develop cancer when exposed to a certain cancer-causing substance.
It’s not clear just how many mutations must accumulate for cancer to form. It’s likely that this varies among cancer types.
Risk factors
While doctors have an idea of what may increase your risk of cancer, the majority of cancers occur in people who don’t have any known risk factors. Factors known to increase your risk of cancer include:
Your age
Cancer can take decades to develop. That’s why most people diagnosed with cancer are 65 or older. While it’s more common in older adults, cancer isn’t exclusively an adult disease — cancer can be diagnosed at any age.
Your habits
Certain lifestyle choices are known to increase your risk of cancer. Smoking, drinking more than one drink a day for women and up to two drinks a day for men, excessive exposure to the sun or frequent blistering sunburns, being obese, and having unsafe sex can contribute to cancer.
You can change these habits to lower your risk of cancer — though some habits are easier to change than others.
Your family history
Only a small portion of cancers are due to an inherited condition. If cancer is common in your family, it’s possible that mutations are being passed from one generation to the next. You might be a candidate for genetic testing to see whether you have inherited mutations that might increase your risk of certain cancers. Keep in mind that having an inherited genetic mutation doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get cancer.
Your health conditions
Some chronic health conditions, such as ulcerative colitis, can markedly increase your risk of developing certain cancers. Talk to your doctor about your risk.
Your environment
The environment around you may contain harmful chemicals that can increase your risk of cancer. Even if you don’t smoke, you might inhale secondhand smoke if you go where people are smoking or if you live with someone who smokes. Chemicals in your home or workplace, such as asbestos and benzene, also are associated with an increased risk of cancer.
Complications
Cancer and its treatment can cause several complications, including:
Pain. Pain can be caused by cancer or by cancer treatment, though not all cancer is painful. Medications and other approaches can effectively treat cancer-related pain.
Fatigue. Fatigue in people with cancer has many causes, but it can often be managed. Fatigue associated with chemotherapy or radiation therapy treatments is common, but it’s usually temporary.
Difficulty breathing. Cancer or cancer treatment may cause a feeling of being short of breath. Treatments may bring relief.
Nausea. Certain cancers and cancer treatments can cause nausea. Your doctor can sometimes predict if your treatment is likely to cause nausea. Medications and other treatments may help you prevent or decrease nausea.
Diarrhea or constipation. Cancer and cancer treatment can affect your bowels and cause diarrhea or constipation.
Weight loss. Cancer and cancer treatment may cause weight loss. Cancer steals food from normal cells and deprives them of nutrients. This is often not affected by how many calories or what kind of food is eaten; it’s difficult to treat. In most cases, using artificial nutrition through tubes into the stomach or vein does not help change the weight loss.
Chemical changes in your body. Cancer can upset the normal chemical balance in your body and increase your risk of serious complications. Signs and symptoms of chemical imbalances might include excessive thirst, frequent urination, constipation and confusion.
Brain and nervous system problems. Cancer can press on nearby nerves and cause pain and loss of function of one part of your body. Cancer that involves the brain can cause headaches and stroke-like signs and symptoms, such as weakness on one side of your body.
Unusual immune system reactions to cancer. In some cases the body’s immune system may react to the presence of cancer by attacking healthy cells. Called paraneoplastic syndromes, these very rare reactions can lead to a variety of signs and symptoms, such as difficulty walking and seizures.
Cancer that spreads. As cancer advances, it may spread (metastasize) to other parts of the body. Where cancer spreads depends on the type of cancer.
Cancer that returns. Cancer survivors have a risk of cancer recurrence. Some cancers are more likely to recur than others. Ask your doctor about what you can do to reduce your risk of cancer recurrence. Your doctor may devise a follow-up care plan for you after treatment. This plan may include periodic scans and exams in the months and years after your treatment, to look for cancer recurrence.
Prevention
Doctors have identified several ways to reduce your risk of cancer, such as:
Stop smoking. If you smoke, quit. If you don’t smoke, don’t start. Smoking is linked to several types of cancer — not just lung cancer. Stopping now will reduce your risk of cancer in the future.
Avoid excessive sun exposure. Harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun can increase your risk of skin cancer. Limit your sun exposure by staying in the shade, wearing protective clothing or applying sunscreen.
Eat a healthy diet. Choose a diet rich in fruits and vegetables. Select whole grains and lean proteins. Limit your intake of processed meats.
Exercise most days of the week. Regular exercise is linked to a lower risk of cancer. Aim for at least 30 minutes of exercise most days of the week. If you haven’t been exercising regularly, start out slowly and work your way up to 30 minutes or longer.
Maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight or obese may increase your risk of cancer. Work to achieve and maintain a healthy weight through a combination of a healthy diet and regular exercise.
Drink alcohol in moderation, if you choose to drink. If you choose to drink alcohol, do so in moderation. For healthy adults, that means up to one drink a day for women and up to two drinks a day for men.
Schedule cancer screening exams. Talk to your doctor about what types of cancer screening exams are best for you based on your risk factors.
Ask your doctor about immunizations. Certain viruses increase your risk of cancer. Immunizations may help prevent those viruses, including hepatitis B, which increases the risk of liver cancer, and human papillomavirus (HPV), which increases the risk of cervical cancer and other cancers. Ask your doctor whether immunization against these viruses is appropriate for you.
