Ecological And Epidemiological Aspects Of The Listeria Infection In Bulgaria

Abstract

Listeriosis is a rarely diagnosed infection in humans. The cause of the disease is Listeria monocytogenes, an environmentally resistant gram-positive microorganism. The incidence of the disease among people is 0.52 per 100,000 and increases. In Bulgaria there is a steady trend of increasing the number of established cases with the lethality reaching 60%.
The disease occurs with general intoxication and multiple organ symptoms and is often registered as meningitis, sepsis, listeriosis of the newborn. Pregnant women’s central nervous system (CNS) is rarely affected, but through the placenta the infectious agent damages the brain, lungs and other organs of the fetus. Morbidity in Bulgaria ranges from 0.04 to 0.18 per 100,000 in 2017. During the period 2009-2017, 62 patients were diagnosed with listeriosis, with a total of 29 or 46.77% associated with pregnancy. In the last few years, the epidemic process has receded significantly from the epizootic process. The number of diseases related to the consumption of certain foods - refrigerated and consumed without thermal treatment - is increasing. Examination of the environmental aspects of the listeriosis epidemic process is important for improving the diagnosis and treatment of patients as well as for disease prevention by reducing the risk in food production and storage.