The culprit is Listeria monocytogenes, which causes listerosis, a foodborne illness. Maple Leaf foods, one of Canada's largest food processors, expanded its product recall over the weekend to include another 220 products, in addition to the two types of cold meat cuts already being pulled from the shelves. There have been 26 cases of listerosis so far.
People at risk of falling ill include the very old, the very young, pregnant women and anyone with a weakened immune system. The bacteria occurs everywhere in the environment, but food manufacturers have to follow strict procedures to ensure that it doesn't get into processed meats.
Symptoms of listeriosis, which usually occur 24 hours after consumption of heavily contaminated food, include vomiting, nausea, cramps, diarrhea, severe headache, constipation and persistent fever. In some cases, the symptoms can be followed up to 70 days later by meningitis encephalitis (an infection of the brain or its surrounding tissues) and/or septicemia (blood poisoning), either of which can be fatal.
The illness can be treated effectively with antiobiotics.
