What is listeria, the foodborne illness on the rise in the US?

Most of the people who fell sick were identified to be of Eastern European descent or speak Russian, CNN reported quoting CDC.

However, a higher number of people could have been infected as cases where people got sick and recovered without medical care were not unreported. It is also likely that the outbreak is not limited to the states with known illnesses, the CDC said.

Listeriosis or listeria is a common foodborne illness that is caused by eating contaminated food. It’s a serious, but preventable and treatable disease. It accompanies fever and muscle pains and is caused by the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes, which can grow on food, even if it is chilled in the fridge. It primarily affects pregnant women, older adults, newborns, and those with weakened immune systems.

For pregnant women, listeriosis is usually a mild illness, but it causes severe disease in the foetus or newborn child. Getting listeriosis during pregnancy can result in miscarriage, premature delivery or stillbirth. Newborn babies with listeria infection can develop meningitis, blood infections, and other serious and potentially life-threatening complications.

Symptoms of listeriosis include fever, fatigue, diarrhoea other gastrointestinal problems, confusion and muscle aches. The symptoms tend to start within two weeks of eating contaminated food.

Doctors diagnose listeriosis by a bacterial culture, which is a type of laboratory test. The disease is treated with antibiotics.