Ecology of Listeria monocytogenes

Abstract

Food safety criteria for Listeria monocytogenes in the ready-to-eat food category have been applied since 2006. In the territory of the European Union in 2019, there were 2 621 confirmed cases of invasive listeriosis in humans, with a high mortality rate (17.6%). A broader understanding of the ecology of Listeria monocytogenes is crucial for the successful control of this pathogen in the food chain continuum. The paper presents new knowledge on reservoirs/sources of contamination, distribution, dynamics and transmission routes, survival and persistence of Listeria monocytogenes, both in natural habitat and in farm or processing environment.