Listeriosis 李司忒氏菌病

Listeriosis is a fairly common illness. It is especially common among pregnant women, are 20 times more likely to be affected by Listeriosis than other adults - though it is also common among adults with low immune systems and the elderly. When Listeriosis has an affect on pregnant women, it will typically only seem like a slight cold or the flu. Some of the symptoms that characterize Listeriosis include a fever, muscle aches, nausea or diarrhea and possibly a headache, stiff neck or confusion. The amount of symptoms that you will experience due to Listeriosis while you are pregnant mainly depends on whether or not the illness affects your nervous system. 

While it may not seem very severe, the truth in the matter is that Listeriosis is a very serious illness. The main reason is because it can have a huge affect on your newborn baby. Listeriosis can cause premature births, stillborn births and an infection within the newborn.

Luckily, there are a number of things that can be done to prevent Listeriosis from affecting you during pregnancy. Here, we will take a much closer look at some of these things in order to help you prevent Listeriosis.

 

Avoid Unpasteurized Milk

If you have read the book Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult, or if you have seen the movie, then you may be familiar with this cause of Listeriosis. It is important to make sure that you avoid milk or other dairy products which are unpasteurized. This is known to be one of the leading causes of Listeriosis.

 

Avoid Undercooked Meat

Another one of the causes of Listeriosis is undercooked meat. It is important to avoid eating raw or red meat while you are pregnant. Keep in mind that it is also important for you to be careful when you eat cold cut lunch meats or various pre-cooked meats, such as hot dogs. It is recommended for pregnant women to avoid eating meats from delis. If you do choose to eat hot dogs or lunch meats, it is a good idea to make sure that you re-cook them thoroughly in order to prevent Listeriosis from affecting you during pregnancy.
 
Avoid Unwashed Vegetables
While you are pregnant, it is important to wash your vegetables at all times. It is also important to keep in mind that you should avoid putting vegetables in situations where they may become contaminated by the bacteria from meat (e.g. don't put your lettuce on the counter where you just had raw beef laying.)
Unfortunately, the lack of awareness about Listeriosis is the main reason that many pregnant women do become affected. By taking these simple preventative steps, you will be so much more likely to decrease your chances of becoming affected by Listeriosis.

李司忒氏菌病
Listeriosis
 

什麼是李司忒氏菌病?
李司忒氏菌病(listeriosis)是一種罕見病症,是因為吃了被單核細胞增多性李司忒氏菌
(Listeria monocytogenes)細菌所污染的食物而導致。李司忒氏菌細菌普遍存在土壤
和一些生的食物裡。大多數人吃了含有李司忒氏菌細菌的食物也不會導致疾病。
誰最易被傳染?

孕婦、新生的嬰兒、老年人和免疫系統差的人士。
 

這種疾病普遍嗎?

在新南威爾士州,每年通常有20 至30 宗李司忒氏菌病的病例報告。雖然李司忒氏菌
病是罕見的,這種病有高的死亡率。
 

有什麼症狀?

(從感染以至出現症狀的)潛伏期可能是3 天至70 天不等,但平均是大約3 個星期。
感染可能會導致敗血症(septicaemia) (又名blood poisoning)、腦膜炎
(meningitis)(腦膜和脊髓發炎)和孕婦小產。

症狀包括:發燒、肌肉疼痛和有時有影響胃腸的症狀,例如:噁心和腹瀉。較為嚴重的
症狀並且包括虛脫和休克。如果感染蔓延至病人的中央神經系統,可能會出現頭疼、
脖子僵硬、精神錯亂、失去平衡、抽搐和昏迷等症狀。在這些病人中,大約三分之一
可能會死亡。如果在懷孕期中受到感染, 可能會導致早產(流產)、新生的嬰兒受到感
染、和死產。

這種疾病是怎樣傳播的?

 
單核細胞增多性李司忒氏菌在自然界中是廣泛散佈的,許多種家畜和野生動物都是這
種細菌的帶菌者。生的肉類、沒有消毒過的牛奶、生的水果和蔬菜可能已被該細菌

污染。該疾病的突然蔓延被發現是與下列食物有關:生的或已被污染的牛奶、軟乾
酪、預早準備好的沙拉(例如:來自自助沙拉臺的沙拉)、沒有洗過的生的蔬菜、和即
食的肉類,例如:肉醬(paté)。

易被傳染的人士可能會因為吃了被李司忒氏菌細菌所污染的食物而染上李司忒氏菌
病。如果孕婦在懷孕期中吃了已污染的食物,其嬰兒可能生下來就有李司忒氏菌病。
怎樣診斷和治療?

驗血或接受其他檢驗就可以確定是否染上了李司忒氏菌病。治療包括服用抗生素和
接受支持性的治療。如果在懷孕期中被傳染,抗生素往往可以預防胎兒或新生嬰兒受
到感染。即使立即予以治療,有些感染會導致病人死亡,老年人和患其他嚴重內科疾病
的人士尤甚。

怎樣預防?
為了預防李司忒氏菌病:

• 把來自動物的生的食物徹底煮熟,例如:牛肉、羊肉、豬肉或家禽
• 在進食之前,把生的蔬菜和水果徹底洗乾淨
• 把生的肉類與蔬菜、煮熟的食物、和即食的食物分開儲藏(即是不要讓生的肉
類的血與其他食物接觸)
• 用不同的砧板切生的肉類和即食的食物(例如:煮熟的食物和沙拉)
• 避免喝沒有消毒過的牛奶或吃那些用沒有消毒過的牛奶所做的食物(例如:軟乾
酪)
• 在準備食物之前和之後洗手
• 在未處理未煮的食物之後,要洗刀子和砧板
• 在處理動物之後要洗手
• 應該把容易腐爛的食物放在凍(攝氏5 度以下)的冰箱內儲藏,並且在洗過後,儘
快吃掉。

較易染上李司忒氏菌病的人士不應該吃:

• 預早包裝好的沙拉
• 預早切好的水果
• 預早煮熟的雞
• 半熟的肉類

• 凍的熟食店(delicatessen)所出售的肉類
• 肉醬(paté)
• 生的海鮮
• 熏製的魚
• 軟乾酪,例如: brie、camembert、 ricotta、或blue-vein
• 已發芽的種子和生的蘑菇• 軟性冰淇淋。