Journal of Experimental Food Chemistry

Growing Importance of Listeriosis as Food borne Disease

Abstract

Mahendra Pal, Yodit Ayele, Pooja Kundu and Vijay J. Jadhav

Foodborne diseases are among the most widespread public health problems and are human infections transmitted through ingested food, and caused by pathogens whose natural reservoir is a vertebrate animal species. Globally, foodborne diseases resulted in over 600 million illnesses and 420,000 deaths in 2010.The majority of the pathogens causing microbial foodborne diseases are considered to be zoonotic. Presently, there are more than 350 zoonoses of multiple etiologies, which are reported from developing as well as developed nations of the world. However, listeriosis has received special attention due to the severity of infections resulting into high morbidity and mortality. Among the various species of the genus Listeria, Listeria monocytogens is recognized as the principal cause of listeriosis in humans as well as animals including birds. The most common route of infection of humans is consumption of foods contaminated by L. monocytogenes. Raw milk, pasteurized milk, soft cheeses, ice cream, meat and meat products, fish and fish products, eggs and egg products, fruits and vegetables may serve as important sources of L. monocytogenes. The organism can survive and grow over a wide range of environmental conditions such as refrigeration temperatures, low pH and high salt concentration. This allows the pathogen to overcome food preservation and safety barriers, and pose a potential risk to human health. In humans, it can lead to meningitis, encephalitis, septicemia, abortion, pneumonia, endocarditis, urethritis, diarrhea, conjunctivitis, and skin infections. The vulnerable groups are pregnant women, infants, older persons, and individuals with weakened immune system. It is recommended to undertake more sincere efforts to make sure the safe handling of various foods to minimize the contamination of L. monocytogenese, which has emerged as an important foodborne pathogen of global significance.