ABSTRACT
Listeria (L. dentrificans, L. grayi, L. innocua, L. ivanovii, L. murrayi, L. seeligeri, L. welshimeri,
and
L. monocytogenes)
; however, only one species,
Listeria monocytogenes
, has been determined to be a human pathogen. The severity of contamination by
L. monocytogenes
in foods, and listeriosis, the disease it causes, have been well documented. The first report of food-borne illness from
L. monocytogenes
was in Canada in 1981. About 41 people became ill and 18 died after consuming contaminated coleslaw [1]
.
