The cruelty of how listeriosis impacts on the human body, especially the vulnerable

Many of those who contracted listeriosis during the 2017/18 outbreak are living with long-term consequences of the bacterial disease. Some have been left paralysed and bedridden, while others have undergone major surgeries. Children who contracted the disease in utero have conditions like hydrocephalus and cerebral palsy.

Listeriosis is an infectious disease of the blood or brain caused by Listeria monocytogenes bacteria. While infection with Listeria usually results in gastro-enteritis, with symptoms ranging from mild to severe, the health impacts can be far more dire for people with impaired immune systems due to factors like pregnancy, extremes of age, underlying malignant conditions, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection or chronic disease.

Listeriosis is one of the most severe food-borne diseases, states the World Health Organization (WHO), with the high rate of death associated with this type of infection making it a “significant public health concern”.

A journal article on the investigation into the outbreak in South Africa, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, noted that of the 728 patients with a known outcome of the disease, 193 (27%) died.

The symptoms of listeriosis are usually mild, including:

• fever;


• myalgia;


• malaise; and


• nausea or diarrhoea.

However, in at-risk patients, the spread of infection to the nervous system can result in meningitis, leading to headaches, confusion, stiff neck, loss of balance or convulsions, according to a National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) note on frequently asked questions about the disease. Meningitis is an infection of the protective membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord.

Read more: From powerhouse doctor to bedridden — listeriosis outbreak shatters a family’s future and a mother’s life

Read more: Listeriosis tragedy ‘breakthrough’ evidence makes ‘overwhelming’ case Tiger Brands was responsible – lawyers

Listeriosis can also cause:

• Bacteraemia, a bloodstream infection caused by bacteria;


• Sepsis, a serious condition where the body’s immune system has an extreme response to an infection, and its reaction causes damage to its own tissues and organs; and


• Encephalitis, inflammation of the active tissues of the brain.

There can be indirect neurologic health consequences of listeriosis. In cases where people experience severe sepsis or acute respiratory distress syndrome, there is a risk of cognitive impairment or overall functional impairment, as well as an increased risk of mortality from unrelated causes.

People living with HIV are at least 300 times more likely to contract listeriosis than those with a normally functioning immune system, according to the WHO.

Read more: Mother seeks justice after listeriosis from contaminated meat caused her newborn’s death

Pregnant women and babies

Pregnant women are about 20 times more likely to fall ill with listeriosis than other healthy adults. Infection in a pregnant mother can result in a miscarriage or stillbirth. Newborns may also have low birth weight, septicaemia or meningitis.

According to the journal article on the South African outbreak, of the 937 cases of listeriosis that were identified, 465 (50%) were associated with pregnancy, and 87% of the pregnancy-associated cases occurred in neonates.

Children who contract listeriosis in utero can have health consequences that will affect them for the rest of their lives. This is the case for Theto Ngobeni, a six-year-old girl who contracted the disease while in her mother’s womb.

Her mother, Monthla Ngobeni, told Daily Maverick that in her short life, Theto has already developed hydrocephalus, endured six brain surgeries and had two ventriculoperitoneal shunts placed in her head to drain the fluid in her brain. She continues to live with developmental delays.

Read more: ‘They robbed my daughter of a future’ — how listeriosis shattered a mother’s dreams

Monthla Ngobeni’s family, along with 1,000 other claimants, are part of a class action lawsuit against food producer Tiger Brands. The 2017/18 outbreak was linked to contaminated polony produced at an Enterprise Foods factory in Polokwane, Limpopo. Tiger Brands was the parent organisation for Enterprise Foods.

Six years on from the outbreak, the claimants have yet to receive any compensation.

Tiger Brands previously told Daily Maverick that it was committed to ensuring a resolution of the listeriosis class action in the shortest possible time, in the interest of all parties, particularly the victims.

“Tiger Brands’ legal team and the attorneys representing the plaintiffs in the class action continue to attend to pre-trial preparations to get the matter ready for trial, where liability will be determined by the court. The court will allocate a trial date once all necessary pretrial procedures have been attended to and the matter is ready to proceed to trial,” it stated. DM