The secret in the refrigerator: Who is secretly creating the crisis?

Modern families cannot live without refrigerators. No matter eggs, milk, bread, vegetables, fruits or meat, any excess or leftovers are all thrown into the refrigerator.

So does it mean that we just need to refrigerate or freeze these foods to keep them safe? No! Although low temperatures can keep food fresher for longer, another deadly bacteria may be lurking in the refrigerator - Listeria.

Who is Mr. Lister? This name sounds a bit strange. Listeria is a kind of bacteria that likes to reproduce in low temperature environments. The temperature of the refrigerator is the happiest playground for it, so it has a nickname - the refrigerator killer.

Listeria monocytogenes can also grow and multiply in food stored in a refrigerator at 4°C . The general settings of our home refrigerators will not be lower than this temperature, so it can survive in both the refrigerator and freezer.

Listeria monocytogenes is one of the most deadly foodborne pathogens, mainly transmitted through food. It is more deadly than the salmonella and some E. coli that we often hear about. It likes to reproduce in foods such as dairy products, vegetable salads, ice cream, and beef .

How terrible is it? Statistics show that Listeria causes about 2,500 illnesses and 500 deaths in the United States each year. Due to the eating habits of Americans, they prefer to eat cheese, butter, milk, vegetables, bacon, etc. taken directly from the refrigerator. Therefore, there have been several cases of food poisoning caused by Listeria in the history of the United States.

Bacteria know no borders, and the dangerous bacterium Listeria may also be lurking in our refrigerators.

Does that mean that if you eat food contaminated with Listeria, you will definitely be infected? Not really. This bacterium is an opportunistic infection, which means that human immunity can resist it without being infected. However , for people with low immunity, such as patients, pregnant women, infants, and the elderly , there is a high chance of being infected.

The early symptoms of Listeria infection are similar to those of a cold, usually accompanied by diarrhea and high fever. In severe cases, confusion and even brain inflammation may occur. Moreover, this bacteria can be transmitted from pregnant women to their fetuses , causing meningitis in newborns . Particularly severe cases may be life-threatening.

Hearing this, many friends who use refrigerators as safes may not be calm. In fact, there are ways to prevent diseases caused by Listeria. Although Listeria is resistant to freezing and not afraid of cold, it is afraid of heat. As long as it is heated, Listeria can be easily killed.

So Rong Ge gives you three small suggestions:

First, try to cook the food you take out of the refrigerator before eating.

Second, the food in the refrigerator must be kept separate from the raw and cooked food. This can prevent one person from infecting two, two from infecting three, and so on.

Third, leftovers, ready-to-eat meat, and dairy products must be reheated before consumption. As for expired fast food, just throw it away immediately, as Listeria especially likes to multiply on expired meat.

In short, although Listeria is scary, the risk of infection is not high. As long as you don't treat the refrigerator as a safe and put everything in it, pay attention to hygiene, and clean it regularly, there is nothing to worry about.