Listeriosis is a serious infection usually caused by eating food contaminated with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes.
Listeria may infect many different sites in the body, such as the brain, spinal cord membranes, or the bloodstream.
Listeriosis can cause mild, flu-like symptoms such as fever, chills, muscle aches, and diarrhea or upset stomach.
You also may have a stiff neck, headache, confusion, or loss of balance.
Symptoms may appear as late as 2 months after you have eaten something with Listeria.
What is the main cause of Listeria?
Listeria is most commonly caused by eating improperly processed deli meats and unpasteurized milk products.
Healthy people rarely become ill from listeria infection, but the disease can be fatal to unborn babies, newborns and people with weakened immune systems.
The disease primarily affects pregnant women and their newborns, older adults, and people with immune systems weakened by cancer, cancer treatments, or other serious conditions (like diabetes, kidney failure, liver disease, and HIV). Rarely, people without these risk factors are affected. Listeriosis is treated with antibiotics.
