Can pregnant women get listeria from an old pasta plate?

Question

Hello doctor,

Can Listeria monocytogenes colonise and proliferate on a plate that had plain pasta on it but pasta has been taken out, and plate left out for about a week at room temperature?

I am 16 weeks pregnant, and when I was washing said plate, I spilled some of the dirty water from it onto a tea towel that my husband then used to dry a cup, which I then drank water out of. I am wondering how likely if at all that listeria may have contaminated my cup through the tea towel.

Kindly help.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I understand your concern. I suggest that you get a culture of Listeria from the cloth that was used.

If the cloth is dry, the chance of the listeria surviving is less. It is difficult to predict if the water was first infected with the bacteria and then if it would have survived for a time.

Feel free to follow up if you have any fever or symptoms.

Take care.

Answer 2

Hello,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

It is highly unlikely. These bacteria usually do not survive in dry conditions for long.

Take care.