ABSTRACT
Listeria Listeria is a ubiquitous organism that can be found almost everywhere in nature. There are eight identified species of Listeria (dentrificans, grayi, innocua, ivanovii, murrayi, seeligeri, welshimeri, and monocytogenes); however, only one species, Listeria monocytogenes, has been determined to be a human pathogen. The severity of L. monocytogenes in foods and listeriosis, the disease it causes, has been well documented. The first report of foodborne illness from L. monocytogenes was in Canada in 1981. About 41 people became ill and 18 died after consuming contaminated coleslaw [20]. One of the earliest cases of listeriosis investigated in the United States involved contaminated milk in Massachusetts, infecting 49 people and resulting in the death of 14 [20]. A second L. monocytogenes-related foodborne illness in the United Stages involved Mexican-style soft cheese in Southern California in 1985. The presence of L. monocytogenes in the cheese resulted in the death of 39 people [1]. Subsequent to these cases, there have been well publicized cases of listeriosis and product recall in various Ready To Eat (RTE) meat and poultry products. Some of
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these cases have led to severe illness and death, whereas others led to very expensive product recall. It was the leading cause of food recalls in 1999-2000 and, as a result, there is a zero tolerance for L. monocytogenes in RTE foods, and its presence in RTE foods is considered adulteration, and product in distribution is subject to recall or seizure.
