I heard that pregnant women shouldn't eat hot dogs.  Is this true?

Pregnant women don't need to ban hot dogs from their picnic fare, but they do need to be sure that the weiners they eat are thoroughly cooked, say nutritionists at the USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.  Undercooked hot dogs, deli-style meats, soft cheeses and raw milk products can harbor listeria, a type of bacteria that can cause miscarriages.

Heat kills listeria. So, hot dogs, luncheon meats, cold cuts, fermented and dry sausage and other deli-style meats, and poultry products that are reheated until steaming are considered safe to eat.  However, soft cheeses like Brie, Camembert, and blue-veined and Mexican-style cheeses, which cannot be reheated, and unpasteurized milk products should be avoided.  

Pregnant women, the elderly and others at risk for food-borne illnesses are also advised to pay close attention to the expiration date on pre-cooked and ready-to-eat perishable foods and to follow good hand-washing and food-handling practices.