What are the Symptoms of Listeriosis?
The symptoms vary with the infected person:
In infants, symptoms of listeriosis may be seen in the first few days of life and may include: Loss of appetite Lethargy Jaundice Vomiting Respiratory distress (usually pneumonia) Shock Skin rash Increased pressure inside the skull (due to meningitis) possibly causing suture separation
Late-onset infection in the infant (symptoms appear age 5 days or older) and infection in children is often seen as meningitis.
In adults, the disease may take many forms depending on what organ or organ systems are infected. It may occur as meningitis, pneumonia, septicemia, and endocarditis, or in milder forms as abscesses, skin lesion, and conjunctivitis. Symptoms, in addition to fever and muscle aches, can include headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions. A person with listeriosis usually has fever and muscle aches, often preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms. Almost everyone who is diagnosed with listeriosis has "invasive" infection, in which the bacteria spread beyond the gastrointestinal tract.
Pregnant women: Pregnant women typically experience only a mild, flu -like illness. However, infections during pregnancy can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery, or life-threatening infection of the newborn. </s>