Chopped steaks sold at Leclerc and contaminated with listeria bacteria – responsible for listeriosis – are recalled. This food poisoning is particularly dangerous in pregnant women and its incubation can last up to 8 weeks. Everything you need to know about listeriosis.
[Mise à jour le 28 avril 2022 à 12h11] After the cheeses, contaminated ground beef over there bacterium listeria monocytogenes are withdrawn from the market in France. As the site says Reminder-conso.govthe burgers concerned were sold in the butchery section (on request) of Leclerc stores in Rouen between January 24 and April 24, 2022. Customers who have frozen these minced steaks and who still have them should not consume them. The products can be brought back to the point of sale or thrown away. Proof of purchase may result in refund. Listeria bacteria can cause listeriosisa disease that can be severe and whose incubation time can be up to 8 weeks. Pregnant women are particularly at risk: pregnant women contaminated through food can transmit the bacteria to her fetus by transplacental passage or during childbirth when passing through the contaminated genital tract. What are the symptoms to watch out for ? What to do if present? Tips.
Listeria monocytogenes is the name of the bacteria responsible for listeriosis. Listeriosis is a rare but potentially serious infection.
“Listeriosis is mainly transmitted by ingestion of contaminated food by the bacteria present in the soil, vegetation and water“, explains Dr. Jacques Amselem, general practitioner in Seine-et-Marne. It has few consequences for the majority of individuals. Two exceptions: the pregnant woman, in which it can go unnoticed but lead to spontaneous abortion or premature delivery, and her baby. At the new born, listeriosis can cause skin, respiratory or neurological conditions.
Human listeriosis is a reportable disease in France since 1998: the doctor or the medical analysis laboratory must inform the health authorities when he detects a case of listeriosis. Its incidence decreased until 2001, stabilized from 2001 to 2006, then increasing steadily since 2006 to reach in 2019, 5.6 cases of listeriosis/million inhabitants.
- 300 to 400 cases of listeriosis are reported each year in France.
- It is the 2nd cause of food-borne mortality in France.
- More than 80% occur in fragile people (pregnant women and newborns, people aged 65+, immunocompromised people).
The signs: diarrhea, stomach aches, digestive disorders…
Since the bacteria can contaminate different types of food, many people ingest small amounts of L. monocytogenes quite frequently without any symptoms appearing, recalls thehandles. When it makes you sick, the symptoms associated with listeriosis are intestinal and gastric. Among the signs:
- diarrhoea,
- abdominal pain,
- nausea, vomiting
- fever, headache, and body aches.
In a pregnant womanlisteriosis is manifested by flu-like symptoms such as isolated fever, chills, low back pain.
Incubation can range from a few days to 8 weeks. Generally, it is 10 to 28 days.
Contamination is caused by eating infected food over there listeria (poorly washed vegetables, charcuterie, raw fish… See the complete list below). Unlike other bacteria, this one can multiply even when food is stored in the refrigerator. Cooking destroys the bacteria. Thus, it is advisable to cook meat and fish well. Above 65°C, the bacteria is killed, indicates the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).
“To guard against this infection, the pregnant woman must avoid the consumption of the most frequently contaminated foods, starting with fish, raw or smoked, and shellfish“, recommends Dr. Amselem. Surimi, charcuterie (rillettes, foie gras…), raw milk and raw milk cheeses, raw sprouted seeds such as soybeans, should also be discarded. It is also recommended to remove the rind from cheeses, to cook foods of animal origin thoroughly and to wash vegetables and aromatic herbs thoroughly.
Diagnosis is made in people who show symptoms of contamination. It is based on the isolation of the bacterium following a blood sample, a vaginal sample, gastric fluid from a newborn or a lumbar puncture.
“The treatment of listeriosis is based on administration of antibiotics“, reports the doctor. In 20% of cases, this contamination usually leads to death in patients already weakened by another disease. In the two months following the consumption of an infected food, it is recommended to monitor the appearance of symptoms If the signs appear, a medical consultation is necessary.
“The elderly people (from 65 years old), newborns and pregnant women are people at particular risk of listeriosis. People with weakened immune systems are also more likely to get listeriosis“, specifies Dr. Jacques Amselem. In particular, people on immunosuppressive treatment, having an autoimmune disease, infection with HIV for example. The people with cancerblood or liver disease (cirrhosis, etc.), insulin-dependent diabetics and those who have undergone organ transplant are also more at risk, underlines thehandles. It is therefore necessary to be clearly more vigilant in his people. In pregnant women, the infection can cause spontaneous abortion, a premature delivery or an infection of the newborn (sepsis, pulmonary, neurological, skin infection) with a lethality rate of 20% for the infant.
Listeriosis is dangerous in the fragile people mentioned above. At her’s “Symptoms of listeriosis can worsen and last for several weeks in the form of sepsis, meningitis, brain abscess, or even local infections. Neurological sequelae can be observed and, according to studies, the death rate due to infection varies from 20 to 30%” indicates ANSES. Listeriosis has a very high hospitalization rate (>97%).
- Wash your hands well, especially after using the toilet and before preparing food. Hands are the first carriers of germs in food.
- Adjust the temperature of your fridge (+4°C at most) and put food in the fridge quickly after buying it.
- Store leftovers in the fridge for less than 3 days.
- Do not put unwrapped food directly on the shelves.
- Keep the refrigerator clean.
- Avoid cooked or raw meat products consumed as is (cooked or raw ham, jelly products, foie gras, pâté, rillettes, etc.), seafood products (smoked fish, tarama, raw shellfish, etc.) and certain products dairy products (raw milk, soft cheese with a bloomy or washed rind), especially for people at risk such as pregnant women.
Thanks to Dr Jacques Amselem, general practitioner in Seine-et-Marne.
Sources:
Biological hazard description sheet transmissible through food: Listeria monocytogenes. HANDLES. April 2020.
Listeriosis, Ministry of Solidarity and Health, April 19, 2019.
Listeriosis, Public Health France, April 15, 2020.