Listeria

of cure” (Benjamin Franklin). Listeria is a serious foodborne illness. It is caused by a bacterium, called Listeria Monocytogenes, that lives in soil, water, and certain animals. It is especially prevalent in poultry and cattle. Listeria can also be found in unpasteurized milk, and products that are made with raw milk. Listeria is especially dangerous because it is able to grow, even in cold temperatures. Refrigeration will not kill the bacteria. Listeria is only killed by cooking out the bacterium and pasteurizing milk (Listeria). Once a person is infected, it is difficult to determine exactly which food contained the bacteria because the incubation period is so elongated. “Investigators typically assess food exposures for patients in Listeriosis outbreaks for the entire four to six weeks prior to the patient’s diagnosis, and patients often have difficulty recalling their specific food exposures” (Ryser and Elmer 306). This makes it difficult to prevent future exposures to the bacteria. It also makes it difficult for people to know that their illness is foodborne because the illness can take up to 70 days to show any symptoms. This is why it is so important for people who start showing symptoms to…

Introduction: Amongst the Listeria species, only Listeria monocytogenes is considered to be a significant human and animal pathogen, and is distinguished by its ability to cause hemolytic activity, which is usually tested with conventional sheep blood agar plates (Perrin and others 2003). This indicates a risk where they are present in food products, and are more prevalent in ready-to-eat (RTE) meat and poultry products. Being ubiquitous in the environment and in food, Listeria innocua is…

Listeria monocytogenes (L.monocytogenes) is a gram-positive bacterium that is an intracellular human pathogen. L.monocytogenes can persist in vast environmental and animal reservoirs including but not limited: food processing plants, dairy milking equipment, wild birds, and silage (1–3). L.monocytogenes can be seeded into environmental reservoirs through exit of carriers or animal reservoirs by secretion in feces. Handling of equipment used in the production of food for human consumption near or…

Listeria Monocytogene is a gram positive rod shaped organism which can cause serious infections like meningitis, invasive gastroenteritis and endocarditis. Every year 1600 people in United States get affected, with significant mortality of 260 people annually. Listeria gastroenteritis has the third highest mortality rate among all the food born infection. Invasive listeriosis most commonly affect Pregnant women, extreme of ages, people with co morbid disease and weakened immune response. We here…

correctly. In September 2006, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a massive warning about bagged raw spinach sold in grocery stores across the U.S. possibly being contaminated. It was later reported by the Center For Disease and control that more than 100 people got sick from eating the infected spinach and one even died. Food cleanliness on a consumer side is only a portion of what contributes to food poisoning. Poor sanitation issues in factories also plays a major…

The Gram positive unknown was identified to be Listeria Monocytogenes. This conclusion was reached with several bits of evidence. Firstly, the Gram positive unknown was rod shape. This narrowed it down to seven different species. However, I felt it was important to perform a series of tests in order to confidently conclude that the Gram positive unknown was indeed Listeria Monocytogenes. So, the pre-constructed sequence of tests was still performed as if all seven of the Gram positive options…

Listeria monocytogenes is a Gram-positive rod-shaped bacterium. It is the agent of listeriosis, a serious infection caused by eating food contaminated with the bacteria (Todar, 2008). The disease primarily affects older adults, pregnant women, new born, and adults with weakened immune systems. Babies can be born with listeriosis if their mothers eat contaminated food during pregnancy. However, healthy people may consume contaminated foods without becoming ill. Listeria monocytogenes is commonly…

In the summer of 2008 Canadian healthcare professionals noticed an irregularly high incidence of listeriosis cases (“Listeriosis outbreak timeline”, 2009), the disease associated with infection by Listeria. This concern was disregarded until people in a nursing home fell ill and sandwich meat from the same place tested positive for the presence of Listeria monocytogenes (“Listeriosis outbreak timeline”, 2009). On August 12, 2008, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency launched an investigation of…

We have come to notice that a high-number of recent involve the bacterium listeria. With listeria making an impact on food safety and being prevalent in the news, we feel that it is important to understand what this bacterium is, how it spreads, and how to prevent it from sickening customers who consume your food products. Serve Safe Certification Guide to Listeria Listeria is a unique case when it comes to food-borne illness suspects because unlike many other bacteria it grows and multiplies…

As a world's population explodes exponentially, various nations around the world remain looking for ways to grow their economy. Moreover, these nations remain looking for ways to feed their population. Unfortunately, developing nations such as Haiti do not have the resources to adequately feed their population. Therefore, these nations remain dependent on other nations for help. In addition to lacking the necessary resources, these countries also face an increased risk of attracting viruses such…