Q23. Why is listeria dangerous for pregnant women?
A23. The main risk is that these bacteria can pass through the placenta to the unborn baby and cause a range of health problems. These include developmental problems such as defective eyesight or impaired hearing.
In can also cause birth defects such as physical disability.
In some cases it results in premature birth or a miscarriage.
Find out more in our pregnancy and food poisoning section.
FAQS Index : Food Poisoning FAQ
- What causes food poisoning?
- Who is more likely to get food poisoning?
- Is food poisoning worse for some people than others?
- Can the symptoms of food poisoning be mistaken for another illness?
- Who has a higher risk of food poisoning?
- What are the symptoms of food poisoning?
- Which foods are most likely to cause food poisoning?
- What is e coli?
- What is salmonella?
- What is campylobacter?
- What is listeria?
- What is norovirus?
- What is staphylococcus?
- Which parasites cause food poisoning?
- Which wild mushrooms cause food poisoning?
- Should you contact your GP if you have food poisoning?
- How do you treat food poisoning?
- Are there any complications with food poisoning?
- I have developed food poisoning after eating a takeaway: should I report this?
- Can you prevent food poisoning?
- What is cross contamination?
- What is ‘food irradiation?’
- Why is listeria dangerous for pregnant women?
- What are the risks of food poisoning in children?
- Why are older people likely to get food poisoning?
- How is food poisoning diagnosed?
- What is dehydration?
- What is food safety?
- How common is food poisoning?
- What is the outlook for food poisoning?
Food Poisoning Guide
- Food Poisoning
- What is food poisoning?
- Food poisoning or gastroenteritis?
- High risk for food poisoning
- Foods which are likely to cause food poisoning
- Types of food poisoning
- Chicken food poisoning
- Beef food poisoning
- Pork food poisoning
- Fish food poisoning
- Ciguatera poisoning
- Scombroid poisoning
- Bacterial food poisoning
- E coli
- Staphylococcus aureus
- Salmonella
- Clostridium botulinum
- Listeria
- Shigella
- Campylobacter jejuni
- Vibrio parahaemolyticus
- Vibrio cholerae
- Bacillus cereus
- Clostridium perfringens
- Yersinia Enterocolitica
- Enterobacter sakazakii
- Viral food poisoning
- Noroviruses
- Rotavirus
- Adenovirus
- Parasites
- Toxoplasma
- Giardia
- Cryptosporidium
- Entamoeba histolytica
- Toxins
- Mushroom toxins
- Red kidney bean toxins
- Shellfish toxins
- Pesticides
- Causes of food poisoning
- Contamination
- Cross-contamination
- Symptoms of food poisoning
- Diagnosing food poisoning
- Treatment for food poisoning
- Home based treatment
- Medical treatment
- Follow up treatment
- Complications of food poisoning
- Lactose intolerance
- Anaemia
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Kidney failure
- Haemolytic uraemic syndrome
- Reactive arthritis
- Guillain-Barre syndrome
- Pericarditis
- Reporting food poisoning
- Preventing food poisoning
- Cleaning
- Cooking
- Chilling
- Cross contamination
- Food irradiation
- Food safety and your family
- Pregnancy and food poisoning
- Babies and food poisoning
- Children and food poisoning
- Teenagers and food poisoning
- Elderly and food poisoning
- Research into food poisoning
- Food Poisoning FAQs
- Glossary