Pritzker Olsen Attorneys

Listeria Monocytogenes and Listeriosis Information

Attorney Fred Pritzker recently settled a listeriosis lawsuit for $6,425,000. He represents Listeria victims throughout the nation and has been interviewed and quoted by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Lawyers USA and others. He is a sought-after speaker on food safety and food litigation issues. To contact attorney Fred Pritzker, call 1-888-377-8900 (toll free) or submit our online form for a free consultation.

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What is Listeria Monocytogenes

Listeria LawsuitListeria monocytogenes is a is the name of a genus of a rod-shaped bacteria found in animal and human feces, on vegetation and in some livestock feed, as well as in some soil and water. As parasites, Listeria bacteria can live in animals and human beings.

One type of Listeria bacteria, Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes), can cause an illness called listeriosis.  L. monocytogenes bacteria have been found in at least 37 species of mammal, 17 bird species and some types of fish and shellfish. A hardy bacterium, it is remarkably resistant to freezing, drying, and, to some extent, heating. 

What is Listeriosis?

Listeriosis is the infection caused by consuming food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. The disease affects primarily persons of advanced age, pregnant women, newborns, and adults with weakened immune systems. However, persons without these risk factors can also rarely be affected.

Complications of listeriosis include the following:

  • Listeria Meningitis
  • Listeria Septicemia
  • Pneumonia
  • Hydrocephalus
  • Encephalitis
  • Seizures
  • Blindness
  • Brain Stem Damage
  • Cranial Nerve Palsies
  • Cervical Cord Compression
  • Miscarriage
  • Stillbirth

How Does Listeria Get into Food?

Because animals may carry it in their intestines without becoming sick, Listeria sometimes spreads to meat and dairy products. Although Listeria bacteria are killed through cooking and other heating methods used to produce ready-to-eat foods such as pasteurization, some ready-to-eat foods become contaminated after processing. This kind of contamination can take place in the processing plant or on the road from the processor to your plate.

Listeria outbreaks are most commonly associated with ready-to-eat meat foods, including hot dogs, luncheon meats, cold cuts, fermented or dry sausage, and other deli-style meat and poultry. Soft cheeses are another common source of Listeria outbreaks.

Listeria Symptoms and Death

Initial symptoms of listeriosis are usually flu-like. Because most people are resistant to the illness and contamination is relatively rare, listeriosis is uncommon. However, certain populations are much more susceptible to infection, and of the 1,000 to 2,500 people who are infected each year in the U.S, 25 percent die as a result of the infection.

More Listeria Information

For more Listeria information, please read the following:

Listeria Lawyers and Free Consultation

For a free consulation with a lawyer at Pritzker Olsen Attorneys, you may call toll-free at 1-888-377-8900, email Attorney Fred Pritzker, or submit our online consultation form.

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Cost of Food Poisoning

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Fred Pritzker Listed in The Best Lawyers in America

Fred Pritzker has been notified that he will again be listed in The Best Lawyers in America.

 

Non-O157 E. coli (Non-O157 STEC)

Non-O157 E. coli can cause serious injury and death, and yet ground beef contaminated with these strains of E. coli are not considered adulterated under federal law. The six most common strains of non-O157 E. coli include E. coli O26, E. coli O45, E. coli O103, E. coli O111, E. coli O121 and E. coli O145.

 

 

Steak E. coli Outbreak

Our E. coli lawyers are investigating cases of E. coli O157 that have been linked to steak served at restaurants in California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah and Washington.

 

Fairbank Farms Beef Recall Lawsuit

Fairbank Farms ground beef products have been associated with E. coli cases in California, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Vermont.

 

Petting Zoo Llama E. coli HUS

Our law firm has been retained to represent a 3-year-old child who contracted an E. coli infection after visiting an apple orchard/petting zoo in Minnesota. The child developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS).

 

E. coli Wrongful Death Settlement

We have recently settled a number of E. coli cases involving victims of various E. coli outbreaks, including a wrongful death claim.

 

Recent Foodborne Outbreaks

 

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