**Author details**

Prasann Kumar1 \* and Shweta Pathak2

\*Address all correspondence to: prasann.21784@lpu.co.in

1 Department of Agronomy, School of Agriculture, Lovely Professional University, Jalandhar, Punjab, India

2 School of Biochemistry, Davi Ahilya University, Indore, India

#### **References**

[1] Graves LM, Helsel LO, Steigerwalt AG, Morey RE, Daneshvar MI, Roof SE, Orsi RH, Fortes ED, Milillo SR, Bakker HC, Wiedmann M, Swaminathan B, Sauders BD. *Listeria*  *marthii* sp. nov, isolated from the natural environment, finger lakes national forest. International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. 2010;**60**:1280-1288

sources. After entry of *L. monocytogenes* into the host through the ingestion of contaminated food, it encounters acidic conditions, first, within the stomach, and it also encounters the phagosomes after intracellular uptake. The bacterium possesses a variety of different mechanisms including the adaptive acid tolerance response (ATR), the glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) system and the arginine deaminase (ADI) system to help it overcome these acidic

Despite the ubiquitous nature of *L*. *monocytogenes* in food, water, agricultural land, and cattle farms, it has harmful disadvantages. It is the cause of listeriosis in weak immune-responding person along with high risk of public health hazard. A lot of experiments and results have greatly improved the understanding of its ecology, genetics, mechanism, and physiology. By means of whole-genome sequencing method now, *L*. *monocytogenes* can be rapidly identified in the sources of contamination. It can greatly reduce the effort and help food producers in knowing the presence or absence of contamination in food. There is as yet noteworthy slack in our analysis and information in the worries of the exact systems that *L. monocytogenes* utilizations to detect its condition and how it couples its pressure reaction to its pathogenicity, yet the diligent work and observable research action in these fields prone to be addressed the

Authors thank the Department of Agronomy, School of Agriculture, and Lovely Professional University for offering consistent encouragement and undivided attention to the authors.

1 Department of Agronomy, School of Agriculture, Lovely Professional University,

[1] Graves LM, Helsel LO, Steigerwalt AG, Morey RE, Daneshvar MI, Roof SE, Orsi RH, Fortes ED, Milillo SR, Bakker HC, Wiedmann M, Swaminathan B, Sauders BD. *Listeria* 

different inquiry that still unrevealed sooner rather than later.

\* and Shweta Pathak2

\*Address all correspondence to: prasann.21784@lpu.co.in

2 School of Biochemistry, Davi Ahilya University, Indore, India

environments [68–70].

62 Listeria Monocytogenes

**8. Concluding remarks**

**Acknowledgements**

**Author details**

Prasann Kumar1

**References**

Jalandhar, Punjab, India


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**Section 4**

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**Chapter 6**

**Provisional chapter**

**Contamination, Prevention and Control of** *Listeria*

**Contamination, Prevention and Control of** *Listeria* 

**Environments**

**Environments**

Frederick Tawi Tabit

Frederick Tawi Tabit

**Abstract**

**1. Introduction**

Additional information is available at the end of the chapter

Additional information is available at the end of the chapter

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.76132

*monocytogenes* **in Food Processing and Food Service**

*monocytogenes* **in Food Processing and Food Service** 

This chapter reviews issues related to the occurrence and growth of *Listeria monocytogenes* in food processing and food service environments. *L. monocytogenes* is a food-borne pathogen with the capacity to contaminate raw or minimally processed foods such as chilled ready-to-eat (RTE) foods. The consumption of food contaminated with *L. monocytogenes* can result in a disease known as listeriosis among vulnerable groups of people such as pregnant women and fetuses, newborns, adults between the ages of 65 and 75, and people with weakened immune systems. *L. monocytogenes* is ubiquitous and has been isolated from soil, vegetation, sewage, water, animal feed, fresh and frozen meat including poultry, slaughterhouse wastes and the feces of healthy animals and humans. The bacterium is both acid tolerant and salt tolerant. It is able to grow at refrigerator temperature, and is therefore often associated with the consumption of raw or minimally processed and often chilled RTE foods. *L. monocytogenes* is able to form biofilms on food processing and preparation surfaces, which protects it from antimicrobial action. Continuous education of vulnerable groups regarding food safety will increase their awareness of the importance of practicing safer food handling practices such as hand

washing and safe storage of RTE foods as a means to prevent listeriosis.

**Keywords:** *Listeria monocytogenes*, ready to eat food, listeriosis, food safety

*Listeria monocytogenes* is a bacterium which is ubiquitous in nature, and occurs frequently in food processing and handling environments [1]. The consumption of food contaminated with

> © 2016 The Author(s). Licensee InTech. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

© 2018 The Author(s). Licensee IntechOpen. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use,

distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.76132

#### **Contamination, Prevention and Control of** *Listeria monocytogenes* **in Food Processing and Food Service Environments Contamination, Prevention and Control of** *Listeria monocytogenes* **in Food Processing and Food Service Environments**

DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.76132

Frederick Tawi Tabit Frederick Tawi Tabit

Additional information is available at the end of the chapter Additional information is available at the end of the chapter

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.76132

#### **Abstract**

This chapter reviews issues related to the occurrence and growth of *Listeria monocytogenes* in food processing and food service environments. *L. monocytogenes* is a food-borne pathogen with the capacity to contaminate raw or minimally processed foods such as chilled ready-to-eat (RTE) foods. The consumption of food contaminated with *L. monocytogenes* can result in a disease known as listeriosis among vulnerable groups of people such as pregnant women and fetuses, newborns, adults between the ages of 65 and 75, and people with weakened immune systems. *L. monocytogenes* is ubiquitous and has been isolated from soil, vegetation, sewage, water, animal feed, fresh and frozen meat including poultry, slaughterhouse wastes and the feces of healthy animals and humans. The bacterium is both acid tolerant and salt tolerant. It is able to grow at refrigerator temperature, and is therefore often associated with the consumption of raw or minimally processed and often chilled RTE foods. *L. monocytogenes* is able to form biofilms on food processing and preparation surfaces, which protects it from antimicrobial action. Continuous education of vulnerable groups regarding food safety will increase their awareness of the importance of practicing safer food handling practices such as hand washing and safe storage of RTE foods as a means to prevent listeriosis.

**Keywords:** *Listeria monocytogenes*, ready to eat food, listeriosis, food safety

#### **1. Introduction**

*Listeria monocytogenes* is a bacterium which is ubiquitous in nature, and occurs frequently in food processing and handling environments [1]. The consumption of food contaminated with

© 2016 The Author(s). Licensee InTech. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. © 2018 The Author(s). Licensee IntechOpen. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

*L. monocytogenes* can result in a disease known as listeriosis, to which pregnant women and their newborns, adults aged 65 or older, and people with weakened immune systems are particularly vulnerable [2]. In healthy adults, listeriosis is most likely to manifest as mild gastroenteritis. However, in some instances it can result in more severe symptoms, which can lead to life-threatening illnesses such as endocarditis, encephalitis or meningitis, and severe sepsis [3].

*L. monocytogenes* has the ability to attach itself to food preparation contact surfaces and grow to form protective biofilms, which generally protect the bacterial cells from antimicrobial action during cleaning and sterilisation processes [9]. However, low concentrations (<10 μg/mL) of paenibacterin have been found to suppress the growth of *L. monocytogenes* within the biofilm matrix as well as to down-regulate the genes involved in biofilm formation [10]. Considering that *L. monocytogenes* is a food-borne pathogen of public interest [11], the objective of this paper is to review issues related to the occurrence and growth of *L. monocytogenes* in food

Contamination, Prevention and Control of *Listeria monocytogenes* in Food Processing and Food…

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.76132

73

Globally, billions of people are at risk every year and thousands die as a result of consuming unsafe food [12]. In the United States of America (USA), listeriosis has been identified as the third leading cause of death from food-borne illness, after non-typhoidal *Salmonella* and *Toxoplasma gondii*, despite its rarity [13]. In Africa, food-borne illness continues to be a major health threat, especially for vulnerable groups such as infants, pregnant women and their newborns as well as immune-compromised individuals such as elderly people and those with HIV/AIDS [14].

In humans, invasive listeriosis is characterized by septicemia, meningitis, and abortion in pregnant women [15]. Listeriosis in pregnant women can result in premature labor, stillbirth, abortion, and neonatal infection, with high neonatal mortality [16]. It should be noted that *L. monocytogenes* infection in healthy individuals does not necessarily result in invasive disease. The incubation period of listeria-related gastroenteritis can range from 1 to 24 days, but the average incubation period has been found to be less than 24 hours. After the incubation period, prominent symptoms will include fever, then diarrhea, arthralgia, myalgia, and headache. Other common symptoms are nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and watery diarrhea. In healthy individuals, the illness tends to last between 1 and 3 days, with a very low rate of hospitalization [17].

Listeriosis may have an economic impact in the form of costs incurred by the government in funding health institutions to deal with the problem [18]. Other costs can take the form of legal costs emanating from lawsuits imposed on food production companies arising from ill-

*L. monocytogenes* are ubiquitous bacteria that can be found in different environments such as soil and water, and especially in food-manufacturing environments [20]. Many *Listeria* species have been isolated from soil, vegetation, sewage, water, animal feed, fresh and frozen meat including poultry, slaughterhouse wastes and the feces of healthy animals, including humans [21]. Animals have been found to be carriers of *L. monocytogenes*, hence the contamination of

**3. Ecology and growth conditions of** *Listeria monocytogenes* **in the** 

foods of animal origin, such as meats and dairy products [22].

processing and food service environments.

ness and death due listeriosis [19].

**food chain**

**2. Health and economic impacts of listeriosis**

Inadequate food hygiene practices during food preparation are primarily responsible for the propagation of the bacterium and contamination of ready-to-eat (RTE) foods (**Table 1**) during processing, distribution and handling [4]. Small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are more likely to experience *L. monocytogenes* outbreaks than renowned large-scale food processing enterprises owing to differences in the implementation of food safety measures [5].

RTE foods, which are often stored at low temperatures, are the type most susceptible to contamination with *L. monocytogenes* since the bacterium is psychrotrophic and possesses the ability to survive and grow in the presence of many food preservation systems, such as low pH and high salt concentrations [6]. The contamination of minimally processed fruit and vegetable products with *L. monocytogenes* is often a concern, considering that these foods, which are attractive to consumers, are often not subjected to lethal treatments during processing to inactivate potential pathogens [7]. Moreover, the manner in which RTE vegetables are sliced can affect the survival of *Listeria* and the effectiveness of decontamination procedures in the finished products. Hand tearing or manual slicing with a razor blade reduced the survival and growth of *E. coli* and *L. innocua*, probably because of less damage to the vegetable tissues and minimal leakage of nutrients from damaged plant tissues [8].


**CDC**: Centre for Disease Control, **NICD**: National Institute for Communicable Diseases, **ECDC**: European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, **USA**: United States of America, **EU**: European Union, **EEA**: European Economic Area.

**Table 1.** Some records of global *Listeria* outbreaks between 2014 and 2017.

*L. monocytogenes* has the ability to attach itself to food preparation contact surfaces and grow to form protective biofilms, which generally protect the bacterial cells from antimicrobial action during cleaning and sterilisation processes [9]. However, low concentrations (<10 μg/mL) of paenibacterin have been found to suppress the growth of *L. monocytogenes* within the biofilm matrix as well as to down-regulate the genes involved in biofilm formation [10]. Considering that *L. monocytogenes* is a food-borne pathogen of public interest [11], the objective of this paper is to review issues related to the occurrence and growth of *L. monocytogenes* in food processing and food service environments.
