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Mould cheese in pregnancy

Edyta Bańcyr

You can read this text in 1 min.

Mould cheese in pregnancy

Panthermedia

Happy couple expecting a baby

Can eating mould cheese jeopardise the delivery of a pregnancy? Can it affect the development of the embryo in any way? These are questions that many women ask themselves. What is it really like?

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Mouldcheeses, are made from both pasteurised and non-pasteurised milk. The cheeses can be either mouldy (e.g. Brie or Camambert) or over-moulded (e.g. Rokpol, Roquefort). It turns out that it is not mould that can cause problems with pregnancy. In cheeses made from non-pasteurised milk, Listeria monocytogenes, which causes listeriosis, can develop.

Many scientists are therefore beginning to lean towards the thesis that pregnant women can consume mouldy cheeses made from pasteurised milk. Of course, this claim has as many supporters as opponents. Opponents raise the issue of ingesting spores, e.g. Penicillium, in the cheese, which may or may not have a negative impact on the body. Hence, the safest thing to do is to use common sense and not to consume cheeses, even those made with pasteurised milk in excess.

Listeriosis

Listeriosis, caused by Listeria monocytogenes, in up to 80 per cent of cases leads to severe foetal malformations and, consequently, to miscarriage.If the infection occurs in the final stage of pregnancy, there is a risk that the newborn baby will develop problems such as conjunctivitis, rhinitis, pneumonia, skin lesions, blisters and petechiae. Most often, Listeria monocytogenes infections occur after eating cheeses made from unpasteurised milk, but the bacterium also thrives in pâtés, ice-cream and fermented sausages.

Disturbing symptoms include vomiting, diarrhoea, high fever, convulsions and temporary unconsciousness. Treatment of listeriosis involves the administration of strong antibiotics, usually three-component agents (a mixture of amoxicillin with aminoglycoside and cotrimoxazole).