The caramel apple Listeria monocytogenes outbreak has targeted pregnant women and their newborn babies who account for almost one third of the cases reported so far. Nine of 28 cases currently reported are related to a pregnancy, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Three of New Mexico's five cases are newborn boys who developed infections in the womb after their mothers ate the contaminated caramel apples. Along with older people and those with compromised immune systems, pregnant women are at high risk for Listeria infection. In fact, a pregnant women is ten times more likely than the general population to contract a Listeria infection. If she does, the infection can pass to her fetus causing miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery, listeriosis or … [Read more...]