Listeria monocytogenes is famous for the well-known name Listeria, which is a serious infection usually caused by eating L. monocytoenes contaminated food. Listeria monocytogenes is ubiquitous in the environment, including soil, water and vegetation. Listeria is noted as a serious infection because an estimated 1,600 people in the US contract it each year and on average 260 die.
After learning about and researching Listeria for years, AIB’s microbiologist, Dr. Kantha Channaiah created a cheat sheet of facts about this opportunistic pathogen.
1. Why do we still hear stories about Listeria outbreaks if there is a zero-tolerance policy in the US?
The cold tolerance and ubiquitous nature of the organism makes it difficult to identify the harborage sites. Although L. monocytogenes is not the most heat resistant bacteria, the following advantages over other vegetative bacteria makes it challenging to control in the food manufacturing environment. L. monocytogenes can:
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