Jan. 12, 2015 | Listeria is a form of bacteria commonly found in wild and domesticated animals as well as in soil and water. These bacteria make many animals sick, leading to miscarriage and stillbirth in domestic animals. Healthy people rarely become ill from a listeria infection, but the disease can be fatal to unborn babies and newborns. People who have weakened immune systems, like cancer or transplant patients, also are at higher risk of life-threatening complications. About 1,600 people in the U.S. will get sick this year from listeria, the third leading cause of death from food poisoning. Contaminated food can bring listeria into the home. Unlike most bacteria, listeria germs can grow and spread in the refrigerator. So if you unknowingly refrigerate listeria-contaminated food, the germs not only multiply at the cool temperature, they could contaminate your refrigerator and spread to other foods there, increasing the likelihood that you and your family will become sick.

Jan. 12, 2015 | Listeria is a form of bacteria commonly found in wild and domesticated animals as well as in soil and water. These bacteria make many animals sick, leading to miscarriage and stillbirth in domestic animals. Healthy people rarely become ill from a listeria infection, but the disease can be fatal to unborn babies and newborns. People who have weakened immune systems, like cancer or transplant patients, also are at higher risk of life-threatening complications. About 1,600 people in the U.S. will get sick this year from listeria, the third leading cause of death from food poisoning. Contaminated food can bring listeria into the home. Unlike most bacteria, listeria germs can grow and spread in the refrigerator. So if you unknowingly refrigerate listeria-contaminated food, the germs not only multiply at the cool temperature, they could contaminate your refrigerator and spread to other foods there, increasing the likelihood that you and your family will become sick.

Jan. 12, 2015 | One of the problems with diagnosing a listeria infection is that a sickness or miscarriage that is the result of contaminated food may not occur until weeks later, making it difficult to identify which food was the source. And it can hide unnoticed in the equipment or appliances where food is prepared, including in factories and grocery stores. Although listeria can grow at refrigeration temperatures, it grows more slowly at refrigerator temperatures of 40 degrees Fahrenheit or less. So it’s a good idea to keep your refrigerator at 40 degrees or lower and the freezer at 0 degrees Fahrenheit or lower. Be sure to wrap or cover foods with a sheet of plastic wrap or foil or put foods in plastic bags or clean covered containers before you place them in the refrigerator. Make certain foods do not leak juices onto other foods. And use precooked and ready-to-eat foods as soon as you can. The longer they are stored in the refrigerator, the more chance listeria has to grow on them.

Jan. 12, 2015 | The symptoms of a listeria infection may begin a few days after you’ve eaten contaminated food, but it may take as long as two months before the first symptoms of infection begin. Fever, muscle aches, nausea and diarrhea are some of the signs of a possible infection. If the infection spreads to your nervous system, you may develop a headache, stiff neck, loss of balance or convulsions. During pregnancy, a listeria infection is likely to cause only mild symptoms in the mother. The consequences for the baby, however, may be devastating. The baby may die unexpectedly before birth or experience a life-threatening infection within the first few days after birth. As in adults, the signs of a listeria infection in a newborn can be subtle, but may include irritability, fever and vomiting. Treatment will depend on the severity of the symptoms. Most people with mild symptoms require no treatment while more serious infections can be treated with antibiotics.

Jan. 12, 2015 | Here are some simple food safety guidelines to follow to prevent a listeria infection. First, keep things clean. Wash your hands thoroughly with warm, soapy water before and after handling or preparing food. After cooking, use hot, soapy water to wash the utensils, cutting board and other food preparation surfaces. Next, always scrub raw vegetables. Clean any raw vegetables with a scrub brush or vegetable brush under plenty of running water. Be sure to cook your food thoroughly. Use a food thermometer to make sure your meat, poultry and egg dishes are cooked to a safe temperature. A cutting board should be washed with warm, soapy water after each use. Non-porous acrylic, plastic, or glass boards can be washed in a dishwasher. And since listeria can contaminate other food through spills in the refrigerator, clean up all spills right away. Consider using paper towels to avoid transferring germs from a cloth towel.