{"id":12243,"date":"2025-07-11T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-11T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/?p=12243"},"modified":"2025-07-10T04:33:24","modified_gmt":"2025-07-10T04:33:24","slug":"what-is-listeria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/what-is-listeria\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Listeria?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Many food products have been recalled over the past few months due to various outbreaks of listeria.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Listeria or Listeria monocytogenes is a species of pathogenic or disease-causing bacteria found in moist environments, soil, water, decaying vegetation, and animal feces. It can survive and even grow under refrigeration and other food preservation measures.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Most people encounter listeriosis, a foodborne illness, as it can be found in hot dogs, deli meats, fresh vegetables, fresh fruits (especially melons), and unpasteurized dairy products. These foods have the highest risk of being contaminated by Listeria bacteria. However, any food that is handled or prepared improperly can be affected.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Listeria bacteria are unique from many other foodborne illnesses because they survive and multiply in low temperatures, including refrigerators and freezers. It can multiply to dangerous levels during storage, and it doesn\u2019t change the smell, taste, or texture of the food that it contaminates, like other bacteria.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Most people get listeriosis from eating contaminated foods. The listeriosis incubation period (the time between when you\u2019re first infected and when you first show symptoms) varies. It usually takes one to two weeks, but can be as short as a couple of days or<\/span>\u00a0as long as three months.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Symptoms of a listeria infection can include:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n