--- title: What you need to know about Listeria during an Outbreak date: 2024-02-08T08:27:58-08:00 author: Bill Marler canonical_url: "https://marlerclark.com/news_events/what-you-need-to-know-about-listeria-during-and-outbreak" section: News --- [All News](/news_events) / # What you need to know about Listeria during an Outbreak **What is Listeria?** Listeria is a bacterium that causes a serious infection called listeriosis. Around 300 deaths in the United States are caused by Listeria infection each year, according to estimates from a 2011 CDC report. Listeria bacteria are most found in raw foods. Vegetables can be contaminated by soil and water carrying bacteria. Listeria is also found in raw animal products, such as meat and cheese. Babies can be born with Listeria if the mother eats contaminated food during pregnancy. The death rate among newborns with Listeria is 25 to 50 percent. **Who is most likely to get seriously ill from Listeria bacteria?** Healthy adults and children hardly ever become seriously ill from Listeria. However, people at increased risk of illness from Listeria bacteria include: - Pregnant women – Pregnant women are 20 times more likely to get listeriosis than the average healthy adult - Newborns - People with weak immune systems - People with cancer, diabetes, or kidney disease - People with AIDS – People with AIDS are 300 times more likely to get sick from Listeria than people with normal immune systems - People who take gluticocorticosteroids, such as cortisone - Elderly people **Symptoms of Listeria** Listeria symptoms appear anywhere between 3 and 70 days after infection, but usually around 21 days later. Typical symptoms include: - Fever - Muscle aches - Nausea or diarrhea (less common) If infection spreads to the central nervous system, symptoms can include: - Headache - Stiff neck - Confusion - Loss of balance - Convulsions **Symptoms for those with Weakened Immune Systems** If a patient has a weak immune system, Listeria bacteria can invade the central nervous system and cause meningitis or a brain infection. **Symptoms for Pregnant Women and Newborns** Infected pregnant woman experience mild, flu-like symptoms. However, infection during pregnancy can lead to miscarriage, infection of the newborn, or stillbirth. Symptoms usually appear in newborns in the first week of life but can also occur later on. A newborn’s Listeria symptoms are often subtle, and include irritability, fever, and poor feeding. **Diagnosis of Listeria** Doctors can determine whether patients have listeriosis by taking a blood or spinal fluid sample. **Treatment of Listeria** Patients who present with symptoms of listeriosis can be treated with antibiotics. **How to Prevent Listeria** - Thoroughly cook raw food from animal sources, such as beef, pork, or poultry - Wash raw vegetables before eating them - Keep uncooked meats separate from vegetables and cooked foods - Avoid products made with unpasteurized milk - Wash hands and cooking utensils after handling uncooked foods - Consume perishable and read-to-eat foods as soon as possible **Foods to Avoid** - Do not eat hot dogs or lunch meats unless they are heated to a temperature sufficient to kill Listeria bacteria - Avoid getting liquid from hot dog packages on other food - Wash hands after handling hot dogs and lunch and deli meats - Do not eat soft cheeses (e.g., feta, Brie, Camembert, blue cheese, and queso blanco) unless the label clearly states that they are pasteurized - Do not eat refrigerated pâté or meat spread, only canned or shelf-stable ones - Do not eat refrigerated smoked seafood, sometimes labeled as “nova-style,” “lox,” “kippered,” or “jerky.” Canned or shelf-stable smoked seafood is ok **Additional Resources:** [Marler Clark, The Food Safety Law Firm](http://www.marlerclark.com/), is the nation’s leading law firm representing victims of [Listeria](https://about-listeria.com/) outbreaks. The [Listeria lawyers of Marler Clark](https://marlerclark.com/food-litigation/listeria-outbreak-litigation) have represented thousands of victims of [Listeria](https://about-listeria.com/) and other foodborne illness outbreaks and have recovered over $850 million for clients. Marler Clark is the only law firm in the nation with a practice focused exclusively on foodborne illness litigation. Our [Listeria](https://about-listeria.com/) lawyers have litigated [Listeria](https://about-listeria.com/) cases stemming from outbreaks traced to a variety of foods, such as lettuce, polony, deli meat, cantaloupe, cheese, celery and milk. If you or a family member became ill with a [Listeria](http://www.about-listeria.com/) infection after consuming food and you’re interested in pursuing a legal claim, contact the Marler Clark [Listeria](http://www.about-listeria.com/) attorneys for a free case evaluation. - [About Listeria – a complete online resource for Listeria information](http://www.about-listeria.com/) - [Family Health Guide About Listeria infection, or Listeriosis (pdf)](http://www.marlerclark.com/pdfs/ListeriaFINALbrochure.pdf) - [Listeria News](http://www.listeriablog.com/) ### Other Listeria Lawsuits [Clover Hill Dairy Cheese sickens 12 with Listeria - 1 Death](https://marlerclark.com/clover-hill-dairy-cheese-sickens-8-with-listeria) [70 Sickened by Salmonella Cantaloupe](https://marlerclark.com/70-sickened-by-salmonella-cantaloupe) [Headcheese linked to Listeria illnesses in Illinois](https://marlerclark.com/headcheese-linked-to-listeria-illnesses-in-illinois) [Kroger and Walmart Pasta Listeria 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The team at Marler Clark is here to answer all your questions. Find out if you’re eligible for a lawsuit, what questions to ask your doctor, and more. [ Get a free consultation ](https://marlerclark.com/contact) ##### Related Resources ###### [Listeria Food Poisoning](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/listeria/about-listeria) What is Listeria and how does it cause food poisoning? Listeria is a gram-positive, rod-shaped bacterium that is ubiquitous and can grow under either anaerobic (without oxygen) or aerobic (with... ###### [The Incidence of Listeria Infections](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/listeria/the-incidence-of-listeria-infections) How common are Listeria infections? Listeria bacteria are found widely in the environment in soil, including in decaying vegetation and water, and may be part of the fecal flora of... ###### [The Prevalence of Listeria in Food and the Environment](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/listeria/listeria-prevalence) Listeria bacteria are common in nature. Listeria monocytogenes is omnipresent in nature; it is found widely in such places as water, soil, infected animals, human and animal feces, raw and... ###### [Transmission of and Infection with Listeria](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/listeria/transmission-of-and-infection-with-listeria) Listeria typically spreads to people through contaminated food or water, but can also be transmitted from mother to fetus. 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