From the Guidelines
If you're 13 weeks pregnant and have been potentially exposed to listeriosis from raw meat, you should contact your healthcare provider immediately. Listeriosis can be serious during pregnancy as it can cross the placenta and affect your baby, with a 20% risk of spontaneous abortion or stillbirth, and two-thirds of infants developing neonatal infection, including pneumonia, sepsis, or meningitis 1. Symptoms may include fever, muscle aches, nausea, and diarrhea, though they can take up to 70 days to appear. Your doctor will likely order blood cultures to confirm infection if you're showing symptoms. Treatment typically involves antibiotics such as amoxicillin (500mg three times daily) or ampicillin (2g IV every 4 hours) for 14-21 days.
Key Prevention Measures
- Thoroughly cook all meats to proper temperatures
- Avoid unpasteurized dairy products
- Wash fruits and vegetables before eating
- Keep your kitchen surfaces clean While waiting for medical attention, monitor for symptoms and stay hydrated. The risk of complications decreases after treatment, but early intervention is crucial to protect both you and your developing baby. It's also important to note that between 17% and 33% of all cases of invasive disease attributable to Listeria monocytogenes in the United States occur among pregnant women, unborn fetuses, or newborn infants, a 13- to 17-fold increase compared with the general population 1.
From the Research
Listeriosis Exposure from Raw Meat during Pregnancy
- Listeriosis is a rare foodborne illness caused by Listeria monocytogenes, which can be transmitted by consuming contaminated ready-to-eat food, deli meats, and soft cheeses 2.
- Pregnant women are at ~18 times greater risk of infection than the general population due to specific pregnancy-related suppressed cell-mediated immunity and placental tropism of L. monocytogenes 2.
- The risk of listeriosis increases during pregnancy, and it can lead to miscarriage, spontaneous preterm labour and preterm birth, stillbirth, and congenital neonatal infections 3.
Prevention and Treatment
- Prevention remains the best way to control listeriosis, and pregnant women should be counseled on appropriate preventative strategies, including avoiding foods commonly contaminated with L. monocytogenes, such as soft ripened cheeses, pate, cooked chilled meats, unpasteurised milk, and ready to eat poultry unless thoroughly cooked 4, 3.
- Amoxicillin or ampicillin are the first line of treatment alone or in combination with gentamicin, followed by trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole 2, 5, 6.
- Intravenous amoxicillin or ampicillin were first-line treatment for listeriosis during pregnancy 3.
Symptoms and Diagnosis
- Symptoms of listeriosis during pregnancy are mostly fever and other flu-like symptoms, such as fatigue 3.
- Diagnosis is primarily made by culture of the pathogen 3.
- Listeriosis infections are likely to occur in the third trimester (66%) rather than in the first trimester (3%) of pregnancy 3.
High-Risk Groups
- Pregnant women, patients at extremes of age, or those with weakened immune systems are at high risk of listeriosis 2, 4.
- Fetal loss is a major complication of listeriosis during pregnancy 4.
- Neonatal listeriosis may present as sepsis or meningitis with severe sequels and high case fatality rate of 20% 2.