foodborne illness

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Foodborne Illness
Introduction
Foodborne disease is caused by consumption of foods and drinks that have been polluted by pathogens, harmful toxins, and chemicals (Scallan et al. 66). However, a great variety of these diseases is commonly acquired through consuming water and food infested with viruses, bacteria, and parasites. Some of these diseases include Hepatitis A, Toxoplasmosis, Vibrio infection, Shigellosis, and Listeriosis.
Listeriosis
Listeriosis is a bacteriological disease brought about by Listeria Monocytogenes. In some cases, it is as a result of L. grayi and L. ivanovii. Listeria is known to cause bacteremia to people with weak immunity, pregnant women and elderly (Scholing et al. 217). Additionally, infections to the central nervous system (cerebritis, brain abscess, and meningitis) are also common. Between 2004 and 2005, cases of Listeriosis in the United States were estimated at 2.5 – 3 per a million population; with pregnant women accounting for up to 30% of all cases. The occurrence of Listeriosis disease in U.S. had dropped by about 38% in the year 2003. However, reports from Centre for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that deaths due to these illnesses continue to occur.
Listeria is primarily transmitted through oral ingestion and after consumption of contaminated food products. The bacteria cause systemic infection after penetrating the intestinal tract and later resulting into to four distinct syndromes.

They include neonatal infection, infection in pregnancy, gastroenteritis, and infection of the central nervous system (Scholing et al. 216).
In neonatal infection, two forms exist, and they include early onset-sepsis (leads to premature birth; it is acquired in utero) and late-onset meningitis (transmitted during both vaginal and caesarean delivery). Nevertheless, infection of the central nervous system can cause meningitis, and cranial nerve palsies. In gastroenteritis, this infection usually has a median incubation of 21 days and leads to non-invasive diarrhoea which ends after three days. Symptoms for infections during pregnancies could last for 7 – 10 days and they include headaches, fever, miscarriage, and still birth.
To diagnose Listeriosis, the bacterium has to be isolated from the cerebrospinal fluid and blood (Boerlin et al. 1339). After a patient has been diagnosed with Listeriosis, treatment is administered according to the severity of the symptoms seen. Individuals with mild symptoms will improve without the treatment drugs. In most cases, stool culture and administration of antibiotic treatment to patients with severe symptoms like a high fever is necessary. On the one hand, ampicillin drugs are preferred for treatment although there has been no agreed approach to patients that are allergic to penicillin. On the other hand, antibiotics are used to treat invasive infections and, therefore, they should be promptly administered to pregnant women to prevent infection to the new born baby. This period of treatment is heavily dependent on the form of infection. For this reason, bacteremia needs two weeks treatment and brain abscess at least six weeks of treatment.
Prevention of all diseases has proven to be cheap and effective compared to treatment and possible death losses. Listeriosis disease can be prevented through proper handling of food. For instance, by washing raw vegetables, cooking of raw food and heating ready-to-eat foods like hot dogs. High-risk groups such as children and elderly, immunocompromised adults and pregnant women should avoid foods that are likely to carry the listeria bacteria; an example of this food is unpasteurised milk product (Boerlin et al. 1341). Other general prevention measures include proper hygiene, quick consumption of perishable foods, separation of raw food from cooked foods and rinsing raw produce with clean running water.

Works Cited
Scallan, Elaine, et al. “Foodborne illness acquired in the United States—major pathogens.”
Emerg Infect Dis 17.1 (2011).
Scholing, M., et al. “Clinical features of liver involvement in adult patients with listeriosis.
Review of the literature.” Infection 35.4 (2007): 212-218.
Boerlin, Patrick, et al. “Typing Listeria monocytogenes isolates from fish products and
human listeriosis cases.” Applied and Environmental Microbiology 63.4 (1997): 1338-
1343.