meningitis

(Schematic diagram/pixabay)

A 30-year-old Chinese woman, Xiaojing (pseudonym), recently took a bite of overnight pizza in the refrigerator. She woke up with a splitting headache. When she went to the hospital for treatment, the hospital found that cerebrospinal fluid had stratified in her ventricles, and the hospital had to urgently help. The woman performs a craniotomy to snatch someone from the clutches of death. It was later learned that the main reason why the woman encountered such a severe situation was “listeria” playing tricks.

According to Chinese media reports, Xiao Jing, who lives a leisurely life, was just lazy at noon one day and ate pizza that had been left in the refrigerator overnight without heating it. Unexpectedly, a few days later, he began to have inexplicable headaches and muscle aches. Xiaojing didn’t take it seriously at first, saying that she would be fine if she took some medicine and slept.

Unexpectedly, after taking the painkillers and waking up, Xiaojing not only had a splitting headache, but also began to vomit, and even her neck became stiff. When Xiaojing went to the hospital for medical treatment, the hospital found that Xiaojing had developed meningitis, with obvious signs of infection in the ventricles, and even stratification of cerebrospinal fluid, worsening from meningitis to ventriculitis.

In order to save Xiaojing’s life, the hospital had to perform an emergency craniotomy on Xiaojing. Huang Xianjian, director of the critical ward of the Neurosurgery Department of Shenzhen Second People’s Hospital, who was in charge of the operation at the time, also said that during the operation, they found that Xiaojing’s ventricle had been severely infected and multiplied by bacteria, and the entire ventricle was like a hole in the brain. Plant hyphae. Fortunately, due to timely rescue and good follow-up care, Xiaojing is now out of danger.

The reason why Xiaojing was on the verge of death was not only the pizza that had not been heated overnight, but “Listeriosis” was the most direct culprit. The report mentioned that Listeria is a strain that widely exists in nature and is the main pathogen causing outbreaks of food-borne diseases, with a fatality rate of 20 to 50%. It is also known as “refrigerator killer” or “refrigerator bacteria” because of its extremely strong tolerance to various environments and its ability to thrive in an environment of 4 to 10 degrees Celsius.

According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Listeria has an incubation period of 3 to 70 days (usually 21 days), and the severity of illness after Listeria infection depends on the immune status of the infected person. People with normal immunity are not susceptible to Listeria infection or may only have gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting after infection. However, the elderly, people with low immunity, pregnant women, fetuses, and newborns may suffer from invasive infections.

Since there is currently no vaccine to prevent Listeria monocytogenes, the best way to avoid Listeria infection is to “handle food with caution.” The Ministry of Health and Welfare also recommends the following ways to avoid infection:

1. Use different utensils when handling raw and cooked food to avoid cross-contamination.

2. Wash hands and utensils thoroughly after handling raw food.

3. Meats such as beef, pork, poultry or fish should be cooked thoroughly.

4. Fruits and melons should be eaten as soon as possible after being cut into pieces. Avoid leaving them at room temperature for more than 4 hours or refrigeration beyond their shelf life.

5. Avoid eating unpasteurized raw milk and its dairy products.

6. For perishable foods (such as seafood, poultry and livestock meat, etc.) and ready-to-eat foods (such as cut fresh fruits and vegetables, cold vegetables and meat, etc.), they should be consumed as soon as possible.

7. High-risk groups should avoid eating low-temperature preserved meat sauce, ready-to-eat processed meat products (such as hot dogs, smoked seafood), and ready-to-eat foods (such as lettuce salads, sandwiches or sushi that are prepared and stored for immediate consumption). , leftovers and unsterilized dairy products, etc.; if you want to eat them, please heat them thoroughly before eating. When handling food, avoid the juices from hot dogs and other ready-to-eat processed meats coming into contact with other foods, and wash your hands and utensils thoroughly after handling.

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2024-02-28 06:40:04