Listeriosis is an infectious disease mainly caused by contaminated food.Listeriosis is harmless for healthy people, but the infection can be dangerous for pregnant women, weakened or old people.
What is listeriosis?
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Listeriosis is transmitted through so-called Listeria. These are bacteria of the genus Listeria, which are very undemanding and therefore widespread. They occur mainly in wild animals, but also in domestic animals.
One type of Listeria can also affect humans: Listeria monocytogenes. This type of bacteria is highly contagious and spread around the world. Listeriosis was first discovered in 1923 in guinea pigs and rabbits on a laboratory animal farm in Cambridge.
The first human listeriosis case was documented in 1929. Listeriosis was named after the British surgeon Joseph Baron Lister (1827-1912). According to the Infection Protection Act, listeriosis has been a reportable disease since 2001, regardless of whether it occurs in humans or animals.
causes
The one occurring in humans Listeriosis is triggered by the bacteria of the species Listeria monocytogenes, which occur almost everywhere. These are rod-shaped, non-spore-forming bacteria that develop flagella at a temperature of over 25 degrees Celsius and are therefore mobile.
The insidious thing about this type of bacteria is that it can multiply even in colder temperatures and thus survive in the refrigerator. The listeriosis pathogen can be found almost everywhere - on plants, in the soil, in water. This is how they get into the animal's feed.
Listeriosis can be transmitted to humans in different ways: Listeria monocytogenes most commonly enters the human body through contaminated food, but listeriosis can also occur through contact with infected animals or contaminated soil.
Symptoms, ailments & signs
In most cases, listeriosis has no noticeable symptoms. Healthy adults often overcome the condition unnoticed. Occasionally, however, discomfort and serious complications can occur. Flu symptoms such as tiredness, fatigue or fever are typical. If something irritating or spoiled is eaten, severe gastrointestinal inflammation can occur.
This is accompanied by symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea and fever, which subside on their own after a few days. Infection through infected animals or contaminated soil can cause pustules on the hands and feet. People with a weakened immune system experience increasing symptoms associated with listeriosis. At first there is an increasing malaise.
Symptoms such as headache, nausea and vomiting and an increased body temperature can appear after just a few hours. In extreme cases, the disease can lead to blood poisoning, meningitis or encephalitis. These secondary diseases are life-threatening and express themselves through further symptoms, which are accompanied by a growing feeling of illness.
Listeriosis also leads to urinary tract infections and chills in pregnant women. Infants often experience apathy and a rash that can spread to the entire body. Seizures and shortness of breath can also occur.
Diagnosis & course
A diagnosis of the Listeriosis turns out to be extremely difficult. It is difficult to ascertain beyond doubt in the human body. What can be clinically proven is a significant increase in white blood cells (leukocytes).
Listeriosis cannot be clearly determined based on the symptoms alone. Proof of the pathogen is required for exact proof of the infectious disease. Here, the Listeria are detected either in the blood, in the spinal cord or brain fluid or in other body fluids. However, an antibody determination is not meaningful in listeriosis, since basically everyone has come into contact with listeria several times and thus antibodies against listeria can also be found in a healthy body.
In healthy people, listeriosis usually goes completely unnoticed and without any noticeable symptoms. Signs of illness such as high fever, severe headache, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting occur in immunocompromised people as well as pregnant women and newborns. Serious complications such as blood poisoning, meningitis or encephalitis can be associated with listeriosis.
Complications
Listeriosis can lead to various complications or complaints. Those affected usually suffer from the usual symptoms of flu or a stomach infection. The main result is a fever and severe nausea. It is not uncommon for those affected to suffer from vomiting and diarrhea.
The quality of life is significantly reduced by the complaint. The loss of fluid also makes the patient tired and exhausted. There is also pain in the head and joints. If listeriosis is not treated, in the worst case it can lead to inflammation in the brain or blood poisoning.
Both complaints can be fatal and significantly reduce the life expectancy of the person affected. As a rule, listeriosis can be treated relatively easily with antibiotics if treatment is given early. Most of the time there are no complications.
The symptoms can be more severe in people with a weak immune system. However, life expectancy itself is not restricted by listeriosis. In the case of inflammation of the brain or the meninges, severe therapy is necessary to avoid death of the patient.
When should you go to the doctor?
A doctor should be consulted in the event of symptoms such as fatigue, tiredness or exhaustion. If there are digestive problems, apathy or loss of appetite, a doctor's visit is necessary. If the symptoms increase or if they spread further, medical care is necessary for the person concerned.
A doctor should be consulted if there are abnormalities in the skin, the formation of pustules or discoloration on the skin. If you experience a fever, dizziness, or nausea, there is cause for concern. Be careful if you vomit, sweat, have trouble sleeping, or have other flu-like symptoms. If the symptoms persist for several days, the person affected needs medical care.
If a headache occurs, increased irritability or a diffuse feeling of illness, a doctor should be consulted. Since the sequelae of listeriosis can lead to a life-threatening condition, a doctor should be consulted at the first signs. A general malaise, an internal weakness or a decrease in the usual level of performance are considered unusual. You should be examined by a doctor so that treatment to alleviate the symptoms can be initiated at an early stage. Chills, seizure disorders or shortness of breath are warning signs of the organism. They should be followed up immediately to determine the cause and take the necessary steps to improve the state of health.
Treatment & Therapy
Listeriosis Although it can be treated, the greatest problem here is the early detection of the disease. The diagnosis of listeriosis is usually too late, so that treatment with antibiotics is no longer effective.
With a timely diagnosis, common antibiotics such as amoxicillin, gentamicin, ampicillin or erythromycin help against the pathogen Listeria monocytogenes. An aminoglycoside is often also used, or alternatively co-trimoxazole. With listeriosis, the risk of relapse is relatively high, so it is particularly important to take the antibiotic for at least three weeks at a time. This is the only way to really kill all of the listeria in the body.
The biggest problem with listeriosis is that treatment with antibiotics is often very stressful for the body, especially when treating immunodeficient patients. This means that support from the body's own immune reaction is not always guaranteed and the treatment of listeriosis is more difficult than in people with a strong immune system.
In the case of massive listeriosis, which is accompanied by encephalitis or a brain abscess, antibiotic treatment is recommended for six weeks; in the case of endocarditis (inflammation of the inner lining of the heart) it is four to six weeks.
Outlook & forecast
Listeriosis is one of the reportable diseases with the highest number of deaths. Around seven percent of those affected die from the consequences of listeriosis. If the patient is healthy, listeriosis usually proceeds without long-lasting symptoms. Often the disease heals completely unnoticed. The prognosis is worse if there are previous illnesses such as immunodeficiency. In the case of immunodeficiency, listeriosis can lead to disorders of the immune system. In immunocompromised people, the mortality rate is 20 to 30 percent.
If listeriosis occurs during pregnancy, it can lead to premature birth, miscarriage, or stillbirth. If it is transmitted to the child, so-called newborn listeriosis can also occur. Affected infants suffer from mental and physical damage and die from the disease in 30 to 50 percent of cases.
As part of listeriosis, blood poisoning or meningitis can develop. A complicated course worsens the prognosis considerably. About 20 percent of all patients who suffer from sepsis die from blood poisoning. Meningitis leads to death in around 13 percent of cases. The prognosis is also worse for chronic diseases such as tumors or AIDS. Likewise after organ transplants or during drug treatment with glucocorticoids. In the elderly, listeriosis can cause serious complications that can be life-threatening.
prevention
One Listeriosis cannot be prevented by vaccination as with many other infectious diseases. So far there is no effective vaccine against listeriosis. That is why the most important prophylactic measure is hygiene when handling food. People at increased risk of disease should avoid foods such as raw meat and fish, raw milk and raw milk products. The safest measure against a listeriosis infection is to sufficiently heat the food.
Aftercare
Infectious diseases often need good follow-up care after they have healed. It is aimed at strengthening the immune system, regenerating those affected and, above all, aiming to prevent the disease from flaring up again. Depending on the degree of illness, aftercare for listeriosis looks a little different and ideally is discussed with the attending physician.
Since this mainly affects the gastrointestinal area, the immune system can be strengthened by a number of measures that are in the hands of the patient. This includes eating a healthy diet, drinking enough water and getting enough sleep. It is also important not to start sporting activities too early if the person concerned is not yet able to perform well enough.
The function of the intestines is often impaired by the drugs that were given as part of the infection. This is especially true when antibiotics are given. A non-stressful diet made up of light food helps with aftercare. Natural yogurt is suitable, for example, to rebuild a disturbed intestinal flora.
You can do that yourself
Listeriosis has been a reportable disease since 2001. For this reason alone, if an infection with Listeria is suspected, the doctor should be consulted immediately and the symptoms should not be treated yourself. The best contribution to self-help that the patient can make is prevention and avoiding re-infection from the same source of danger.
Listeriosis is triggered in both humans and animals by contaminated food or feed. Because the disease can be transmitted from humans to animals and vice versa, farmers and zookeepers who look after ruminants should be particularly careful. Food contaminated with soil is particularly dangerous. Fruit and vegetables must therefore always be washed thoroughly and freed from residues. Animals must not be fed hay or grass contaminated with soil. In addition, certain foods such as raw milk cheese, soft cheese, butter and sausage, especially salami, tea sausage and sausage, are particularly dangerous for humans. Anyone suffering from listeriosis should stop eating particularly risky foods and switch to other foods. Cooked cereal products such as rice or pasta, for example, are harmless. Listeria also don't stop at [[tomatoes], apples and carrots, which is why these fruits and vegetables should be preferred.
Since listeriosis particularly affects people with weakened immune systems, a healthy lifestyle can also help prevent illness or accelerate healing.
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