Listeria monocytogenes

Listeriosis is a food borne disease caused by bacteria of the genus Listeria. The disease in humans is not very common and it usually involves infants and elderly people. Most infected people will show no signs of disease while some may demonstrate fever, vomit, abdominal pain and rarely diarrhea. A more serious form involves the nervous system, causing meningitis manifested with headaches, confusion, spasms. The most common way of infection is by the consumption of contaminated food. The bacterium has been found in raw foods, meat, dairy products, cold cuts, vegetables, fruit, seafood. Soft cheese and unpasteurized milk have also been implicated in cases of infection.