Clinical cases of food listeriosis registered in various Italian regions are increasing. this was highlighted by the Ministry of Health which issued an alert and recommendations. The cases are due to the contamination of food by the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes.
The checks, carried out by the working group set up by the ministry to deal with the spread of the bacterium, revealed a correlation between some of the clinical cases and the presence of the Listeria ST 155 strain in würstel based on poultry meat produced by the Tre Valli farm – IT 04 M CE. The presence was also confirmed by sampling carried out at the plant.
The batches of sausage withdrawn from the market
The company, according to the ministry’s website, has initiated all measures to protect the consumer with the withdrawal of the batches that were positive (1785417 and 01810919) and, in application of the principle of maximum precaution, of all those produced before 12 September 2022. It has also implemented a communication that reinforces what has already been indicated on the products directly in the points of sale.
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Further investigations are currently underway on other matrices and other types of products that could be related to human cases of listeriosis.
What is Listeria and where is it found
Listeria monocytogenes, responsible for listeriosis, is a ubiquitous bacterium that can be present in soil, water and vegetation and can contaminate various foods such as milk, vegetables, soft cheeses, undercooked meats, and slightly seasoned sausages. The main route of transmission for humans is food. Healthy children and adults may occasionally become infected, but rarely develop severe disease unlike in debilitated, immunosuppressed individuals and in pregnant women whose disease is more severe.
The severity of the symptoms varies considerably according to the infectious dose and the state of health of the affected individual. They range from flu-like or gastrointestinal forms, sometimes accompanied by high fever, up to septicemic forms, meningitis or abortion in subjects at risk.
Listeria monocytogenes is very resistant to low temperatures and drying, in food stored at refrigeration temperature (4 ° C). On the other hand, it is very sensitive to the usual domestic cooking temperatures of food.
What to do: hygiene in the kitchen and cooking of food
The Ministry of Health invites consumers to pay maximum attention to the correct methods of conservation, preparation and consumption of food, in the specific case of frankfurters, indicated precisely on the label on the package, which normally involve cooking before consumption.
The adoption of simple rules of hygiene in the handling of food, even at home, in fact reduces the risk of contracting the disease.
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The recommendations
- Wash your hands often, frequently clean all surfaces and materials that come into contact with food (utensils, small appliances, refrigerator, dishcloths and sponges);
- store raw, cooked and ready-to-eat foods in the refrigerator separately and in closed containers;
- cook food well following the manufacturer’s instructions on the label;
- do not prepare the food to be consumed after cooking too early (if not, keep it in the fridge and reheat it before consumption);
- do not leave perishable foods at room temperature and respect the storage temperature indicated on the label.