Listeria bacteria in canned fish

The Consumer Protection Ministry of Baden-Württemberg warns against contaminated canned fish, which are burdened with Listeria bacteria. The „Herring carbonate in vegetable oil 430 g“ LB Fisch was removed from the trading shelves.

The canned fish „Herring carbonate in vegetable oil 430 g“ The company LB Fisch from Willstätt with a expiration date up to and including the 5 December 2010 may contain Listeria, so the warning of the Ministry of Consumer Protection Baden-Württemberg. The manufacturer had the corresponding canned goods with a recall, which was accompanied by the Baden-Württemberg food control authority, removed from the shelves. The preserves, also with Cyrillic inscriptions, were mainly sold in retail stores selling Eastern European specialties. Anyone who has already bought a corresponding canned fish should return it to the store, according to a statement from the Ministry.

People with weakened immune systems particularly at risk
The Listeria bacteria can trigger the severe infectious diseases listeriosis, which is particularly common in immunocompromised individuals such as newborns, the elderly, pregnant women or AIDS patients. Here, the clinical picture of listeriosis is very variable and depends mainly on the affected organ system, which makes a corresponding diagnosis of the disease sometimes very difficult.

Ingestion via food is usually the first symptom of diarrhea and abdominal pain in humans. In the further course of the disease, inflammation of the brain and meninges occurs more frequently in both humans and animals, causing central nervous disturbances such as paralysis, tremors, body malpositions and dizziness. Pregnant women and pregnant animals often suffer a miscarriage or death of the fetus. Severe neonatal infections (septicemia) occur more often in pregnant women with listeriosis.

However, listeriosis, for example, can also manifest itself as a local wound infection or as an inflammation of the connective and cornea. Since 2001, listeriosis in Germany is a notifiable disease in both humans and animals. According to the Robert Koch Institute, the number of cases of listeriosis as a result of food infections has risen considerably in recent years in Germany and throughout Europe, and the disease can sometimes be fatal for those affected. (fp, 09.11.2010)