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A multistate Listeria monocytogenes outbreak has turned an easy dinner staple into a public health emergency. Six people have died and 25 have been hospitalized after eating contaminated pre-packaged pasta meals sold at major grocery stores like Trader Joe’s, Walmart, and Kroger.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are working together to trace the source of the outbreak, which was first announced in June of 2025.

Investigators have linked the infections to ready-to-eat pasta products from the supplier Nate’s Fine Foods, including pre-cooked fettuccine, linguine, and bowtie pasta. These products can be both refrigerated or frozen, and are designed to be lightly cooked in the microwave or oven. A list of contaminated products can be found on the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service website.

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Why Does Listeria Thrive on Ready-to-Eat Foods?

The bacteria L. monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, a potentially life-threatening infection. Listeria is the third leading cause of death from foodborne illness in the U.S., responsible for roughly 172 deaths each year. It’s a persistent microbe that can thrive even in cold environments, surviving refrigeration and sometimes growing in packaged food over time.

When it comes to food, Listeria is often spread in processing facilities where the bacteria can be hard to remove, even in the cleanest of circumstances. Listeria can enter a food processing facility through multiple avenues, including on food that was contaminated during the harvesting process. It can also be spread through the facility via food processing, preparation, packaging, and transportation.

Something as unassuming as incoming air can contain traces of L. monocytogenes and be enough to start an outbreak.

Symptoms of Listeria Infection

If you’ve contracted Listeria, symptoms typically appear within two weeks of eating contaminated food, but can start as early as the day of consumption or as late as 10 weeks later. For most healthy adults, illness may pass with rest and fluids, but the infection can be devastating for pregnant women, newborns, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems.

According to the FDA press release, “mild symptoms may include a fever, muscle aches, nausea, tiredness, vomiting, and diarrhea. If the more severe form of listeriosis develops, symptoms may include headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions.”

Most people who encounter L. monocytogenes will contract a non-life-threatening intestinal illness. In these cases, the infection will likely present flu-like symptoms and clear up without medical intervention. However, the invasive strain of L. monocytogenes, where the bacteria spreads beyond the gut, is deadly — nearly one in six people who contract invasive listeriosis will die.

What Can You Do to Protect Yourself From Listeria?

The good news is that Listeria infection is preventable. Awareness and proper refrigeration habits can make all the difference. For the current outbreak, consumers are encouraged to check their refrigerators and freezers for recalled products.

To protect against Listeria in the home, keep your refrigerator at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below and your freezer at 0 degrees Fahrenheit. Wash produce, cook food thoroughly, and promptly throw out anything that looks suspicious or is expired.

If you’ve eaten recalled pasta and are experiencing fever, fatigue, or muscle aches, the CDC recommends contacting a healthcare provider immediately. However, if you’re symptom-free, testing or treatment likely isn’t necessary.

This article is not offering medical advice and should be used for informational purposes only.

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Article Sources

Our writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:

Tardigrades, the microscopic animals popularly known as “water bears,” have rightfully earned their reputation as the most sturdy organisms in the world. They’re undeterred by the harshest conditions that nature has to offer, living at temperatures plummeting to absolute zero (around minus 459 degrees Fahrenheit) and surpassing 300 degrees Fahrenheit.

Believe it or not, tardigrades can achieve an even more impressive feat of survival; the tiny creatures are capable of enduring 1,000 times more intense radiation than mammals can handle.

What allows them to do this, according to a new study published in the Journal of Molecular Biology, is a special protein called “Dsup,” which guards DNA from radiation-induced damage, and could one day help researchers in the fight against cancer.

Tardigrades: The Best Survivors in Nature

For years, scientists weren’t sure how tardigrades could live when exposed to extreme radiation. Initially, they surmised that it had something to do with anhydrobiosis, an ability that allows the micro-animals to live in a limbo-like state after they shed almost all of their intracellular water.

When anhydrobiosis occurs, tardigrades enter a “tun” state during which they dry out and curl into a seemingly lifeless ball, slowing their metabolism to a near halt. Some tardigrade species (of which there are over 1,300) can rehydrate and come back to life after years of essentially shutting down in their tun state.

It may sound like this superpower is the reason why tardigrades are protected against radiation, but studies have shown that some species can still endure radiation even in a hydrated state.

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A Radiation-Proof Protein

The true answer to tardigrades’ radiation resistance appears to be the Dsup (damage suppressor) protein. While this protein is unique to tardigrades, several studies have tampered with other animals’ genomes to see if the protein would maintain the same benefits.

One study that gave mice the genetic instructions to produce Dsup found that they sustained less DNA damage than untreated mice when subjected to high doses of radiation. Another study expressed the Dsup gene in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, enabling it to tolerate x-ray exposure and to exhibit an extended life span.

Based on the outcomes of these studies, researchers began to realize the exciting potential of Dsup. However, they didn’t quite understand how it worked in tardigrades to prevent DNA damage. Some thought of it as more of a shield that blocked radiation, while others believed it was mostly helping cells to repair DNA before damage could accumulate.

The new study has found a path forward when it comes to understanding Dsup in tardigrades. In the study, researchers examined the biochemical and structural properties of Dsup that lead to DNA protection. In doing so, they realized that after the protein binds to single- or double-stranded DNA, it partially unwinds the DNA. This change in shape makes the DNA less susceptible to radiation damage.

The protein also isn’t the only protective measure that tardigrades have. Some species use additional methods to survive extreme radiation, like one discovered in 2020 that can transform lethal levels of UV light into harmless blue light thanks to fluorescent pigments under its skin.

Preventing DNA Damage From Cancer

As researchers continue to work with Dsup, new opportunities for human health may start to open up. The protein could someday help prevent cells from turning cancerous, as DNA damage is a significant feature of most cancers. Dsup could even benefit astronauts, who are exposed to ionizing radiation when spending long periods of time in space.

Although Dsup sounds promising, there are still obstacles that could hinder its applications in humans. One 2023 study, for example, found that the protein promotes neurotoxicity in cortical neurons, meaning it may not be viable to use in treatments involving the brain.

Dsup’s properties could still revolutionize healthcare, yet more research is needed to understand its true potential.

Read More: Tardigrades May Still Be Living on the Moon After Lunar Lander Crash

Article Sources:

Our writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article: