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Risk factors
By Mayo Clinic staffPregnant women and people who have weak immune systems are at highest risk of contracting a listeria infection.
Pregnant women and their babies
Pregnant women are significantly more susceptible to listeria infections than are other healthy adults. Although a listeria infection may cause only a mild illness in the mother, consequences for the baby may include:
- Miscarriage
- Stillbirth
- Premature birth
- A potentially fatal infection after birth
People who have weak immune systems
This category includes people who:
- Are over 60
- Have AIDS
- Are undergoing chemotherapy
- Have diabetes or kidney disease
- Take high-dose prednisone or certain rheumatoid arthritis drugs
- Take medications to block rejection of a transplanted organ
References
- Reducing the risk of foodborne listeria. Food and Drug Administration. http://www.fda.gov/Food/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/ucm078667.htm. Accessed Jan. 21, 2011.
- Gelfand MS. Epidemiology and pathogenesis of listeria monocytogenes infection. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Jan. 21, 2011.
- Baltimore RS. Listeria monocytogenes. In: Kliegman RM. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 18th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/208746819-6/0/1608/0.html. Accessed Jan. 21, 2011.
- Lorber B. Listerosis. In: Goldman L, et al. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/191371208-2/0/1492/0.html#. Accessed Jan. 21, 2011.
- Bortolussi R. Listeriosis: A primer. Canadian Medical Association Journal. 2008;179:795.
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