In the news recently, the following information from USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service will help you learn more about the causes of listeriosis, who is at risk, and how to prevent it. Listeria monocytogenes is a kind of bacteria often found in soil and water, which can cause serious illness.
Bacteria are too small to be seen without a microscope.
Illness from eating foods with Listeria monocytogenes is called listeriosis. Most people don't get listeriosis. However, pregnant women and newborns, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems caused by cancer treatments, AIDS, diabetes, kidney disease, and other chronic diseases, are at risk for becoming seriously ill from eating foods that contain Listeria monocytogenes. Of those reporting, approximately 25 percent die as a result of the illness. Listeriosis has flu-like symptoms, such as fever and chills.