Consumer Group Alerts Pregnant Women to the Dangers of Food-Borne Bacteria

Jan. 13, 2000 (Washington) -- The same consumer advocacy group that once called attention to movie theater popcorn and Chinese food now says that pregnant women should be on special notice against the horrors that several food-borne organisms may bring, the group announced Thursday.

"Thousands of women may be exposed to Listeria monocytogenes and Toxoplasma gondii every year, resulting in hundreds of fetal deaths and miscarriages," said Caroline Smith DeWaal, director of food safety for the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). Her remarks preceded emotional testimonials from three individuals who lost fetuses to infections from those pathogens.

The CSPI made sure to put the government on the hot seat. "Government programs to control listeria and in the food supply range from ineffective to nonexistent," DeWaal charged. The group filed a citizen petition asking that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) require processors of ready-to-eat meats and poultry to test for listeria.

The CSPI cited government data showing that listeria causes about 2,500 illnesses and 500 deaths per year. According to the CDC, pregnant women are 20 times more likely to be infected by listeria. In 1999, 15 individuals - and six fetuses -- died from Sara Lee processed meats that were contaminated with the bacterium.

Carol Blake, a spokesperson for the USDA, acknowledges, "More can be done." She tells WebMD, "We are going to determine if mandatory testing is the best action. We have not ruled that out."

Dane Bernard, vice president for food safety programs at the National Food Processors Association, tells WebMD that the industry favors doing more rigorous testing, although it would prefer to do so without new regulations. He called the CSPI's criticism of the government a "cheap shot."

According to the CSPI, food-borne infections from toxoplasma, a parasite, strike over 112,000 Americans each year, killing about 375. Pregnant mothers may transmit the parasite to their fetuses, causing mental retardation and blindness in anywhere from 400 to 6,000 children each year.

But the parasite is still not widely recognized as a food risk. Pregnant women may only exhibit mild symptoms even as the parasite damages their fetus. Glenn Morris, MD, chairman of the department of epidemiology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, acknowledged, "It's a new area."

According to Bernard, "A lot of people just flat don't know about it yet. We're still kind of early in the learning curve about the organism itself."

Toxoplasma is often transmitted from cats, so pregnant women are currently cautioned not to change litter boxes.

The government does not yet require that food processors test their products for toxoplasma. But Blake tells WebMD, "We'll be looking at that also."

The CSPI said that doctors may not be helping much to educate patients. "No one is telling pregnant women they need to watch what they eat to protect their fetuses," DeWaal said. "Few doctors inform their patients about the risks." In 1997, the American Medical Association concluded that physicians severely underreport and underdiagnose food-borne illness.

According to the CSPI, pregnant women should take special steps to avoid infection from the two pathogens:

• Avoid pâté and soft cheeses such as feta, Brie, Camembert, Mexican-style, and blue-veined.
• Cook all meat thoroughly.
• Reheat leftovers such as hot dogs and deli meats until they are steaming.
• Wash hands before preparing food, after handling raw meats, and after using the bathroom.
• Separate raw meat from other food to avoid cross-contamination.