Listeria monocytogenes and Food poisoning

Listeria monocytogenes
Listeria monocytogenes is Gram-positive foodborne bacterial pathogen and the causative agent of human listeriosis
The organism has served as a model for the study of intracellular pathogenesis for several decades and many aspects of the pathogenic process are well understood
Listeriae are acquired primarily through the consumption of contaminated foods including soft cheese, raw milk, deli salads, and ready-to-eat foods such as luncheon meats and frankfurters
Although L. monocytogenes infection is usually limited to individuals that are immunocompromised, the high mortality rate associated with human listeriosis makes L. monocytogenes the leading cause of death amongst foodborne bacterial pathogens . As a result, tremendous effort has been made at developing methods for the isolation, detection and control of L. monocytogenes in foods.