ABSTRACT
This chapter provides state-of-the-art overviews on foodborne diseases caused by Listeria monocytogenes in relation to their etiology, biology, epidemiology, clinical presentation, pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. Listeria spp., including Listeria monocytogenes, are distributed widely in nature and the environment, including soil, crops, animal feeds, silage, water, wastewater, and decaying vegetation. Listeriosis is a rare foodborne infection caused by L. monocytogenes. Of the three pathogenic species in the genus, L. monocytogenes has the broadest niche spanning across a large number of vertebrates and invertebrates including fishes, crustaceans, birds, and mammals. In listeriosis, L. monocytogenes invade different barriers in the body depending on the population, for example, invasion of the blood-brain barrier resulting in listeriosis-related meningitis is a common complication in people aged 65 years and older and the immunocompromised but rarely occurs in pregnant women. Depending on symptoms and types of cases, listeriosis is diagnosed by culturing L. monocytogenes from sterile sites such as blood, amniotic fluid, or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).
