Listeriosis in pregnancy: these are the symptoms to which you have to be alert

Listeriosis is an infection caused by the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes It is transmitted through the consumption of contaminated food such as raw milk, cheese made with raw milk, raw or undercooked meat, raw vegetables or sausages.

Pregnant women are 20 times more likely to suffer from this disease and since the bacterium crosses the placenta and reaches the baby in gestation, the infection can seriously affect it and even cause death within the uterus or after birth.

Before the outbreak of listeriosis in Andalusia that affects 15 pregnant women, and that seems to continue to spread, it is key to recognize possible symptoms as soon as possible to avoid more serious consequences.

Listeriosis can affect any trimester of pregnancy, but usually predominates in pregnant women in the third trimester, with higher incidence in summer, because it may be related to inadequate food preservation, alterations in refrigeration and changes in its temperature.

In the first or second trimester it produces septic abortions and intrauterine fetal death, in the third trimester it produces chorioamnionitis (infection of the placental membranes and amniotic fluid) and premature delivery (before 37 weeks).

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What to consider about the symptoms of listeriosis

There are two very important things to keep in mind about the symptoms of listeriosis:

1) As the disease has a very long incubation time (between 17 and 67 days,) symptoms may appear days or several weeks after consuming contaminated food. Listeria infection in pregnant women presents an average of 27.5 days.

2) One of the greatest complexities when it comes to detecting them is that symptoms during pregnancy are usually nonspecific, similar to those you can have if you go through a flu process.

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Symptoms of listeriosis in pregnant women

  • Fever greater than or equal to 38 ° C without apparent cause
  • Sickness
  • Vomiting
  • Diarrhea
  • Headache
  • Muscle pains
  • General discomfort
  • Weakness
  • In the third trimester: maternal tachycardia, fetal tachycardia and uterine irritability (abdominal palpation pain).

There are also asymptomatic pregnant women, that is, they have no symptoms after contracting the infection, but it has been found that there is no risk for fetal survival in these cases.

In case you are pregnant and present any of these symptoms, it is very important that you go to the doctor immediately, who will perform the necessary tests. If the listeriosis infection is confirmed, the time that elapses from the infection until the start of antibiotic treatment is key, since an early onset can greatly improve the prognosis and even cure the infection.

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Video: Are You Really Eating for Two? Food and Nutrition During Pregnancy (March 2024).