Personal Injury and Wrongful Death

Listeria Food Poisoning Information:
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Cantaloupe OutbreakCantaloupe Listeria Lawsuit: Our attorneys are investigating lawsuits for victims and families affected by the Listeria outbreak linked to eating Rocky Ford cantaloupe grown by Jensen Farms in Colorado. Read more about the cantaloupe Listeria outbreak and a cantaloupe listeria lawsuit against Jensen Farms.

$6,000,000 Listeria Settlement

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 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.

Contact Attorney Fred Pritzker

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