article_snippet: Listeriosis, a serious infection caused by eating food contaminated with listeria, primarily affects the elderly, pregnant women, newborns and people with weakened immune systems, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
article_snippet: In the United States, an estimated 1,600 people become seriously ill each year; approximately 16% of these illnesses result in death.
article_snippet: Cervical infections caused by listeriosis in pregnant women may result in spontaneous abortion during the second or third trimesters or stillbirth.
article_snippet: CNN's Jacque Wilson contributed to this report.