Symptoms Of Listeriosis (Listeria)

Headache

A headache is another symptom that can occur if the listeria infection spreads to the patient's nervous system. Like a stiff neck, patients should seek emergency medical treatment for a severe headache. Serious headaches are especially noticeable if individuals don't commonly experience tension headaches or migraines. They may feel like their head is throbbing, pounding, like there's a stabbing sensation behind their eyes, or like their skull is going to explode. Headaches may be accompanied by light sensitivity. When related to listeriosis, a serious headache indicates the infection has begun damaging the nervous system or increasing pressure in the skull. This means the patient needs to go to the emergency room.

Loss of Balance

If the listeriosis spreads to the nervous system and progresses to bacterial meningitis, patients may experience a loss of balance as one of the neurological symptoms. The loss of balance may be mild or extreme. Patients might also notice their balance issues progressing as the infection gets worse. When individuals stand up, they may experience sudden dizziness or a sense of vertigo. It may be hard to balance when getting up or sitting down. Patients might have trouble walking in a straight line or experience other unusual gait changes. If individuals are losing their balance after being exposed to listeria, they should seek emergency medical care to make sure they don't have bacterial meningitis.