Jerky is an extremely common, dried beef snack and like all other meat products, it carries the risk of harboring harmful microorganisms. One such bacteria, toxoplasma can cause toxoplasmosis which can occasionally lead to birth defects within the fetus such as eye or brain damage. Mostly the infant does not show any signs and symptoms of infection at the time of birth but later on, goes to develop mental disability or blindness.
The rule of eating meat, especially when pregnant is to cook it at high temperatures 64C (165F) in order to kill the infectious organisms. Drying up meat, as the case with jerkys, reduces the risk of getting infected but it does not necessarily kill bacterias. Since you do not know at what temperature, the Jerky you are feasting on was cooked. Therefore, it is best to avoid it while you are pregnant.
Other problems that Jerky can cause is high blood pressure, preterm labor, or preeclampsia, all due to the high salt content found in it. Hence it is safest to avoid Jerky during pregnancy.
