<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p><italic>Listeria monocytogenes</italic> is one of the most dangerous food-borne pathogens and is responsible for human listeriosis, a severe disease with a high mortality rate, especially among the elderly, pregnant women and newborns. Therefore, this bacterium has an important impact on food safety and public health. It is able to survive and even grow in a temperature range from -0.4°C to 45°C, a broad pH range from 4.6 to 9.5 and at a relatively low water activity (a<sub>W</sub> &lt; 0.90), and tolerates salt content up to 20%. It is also resistant to ultraviolet light, biocides and heavy metals and forms biofilm structures on a variety of surfaces in food-production environments. These features make it difficult to remove and allow it to persist for a long time, increasing the risk of contamination of food-production facilities and ultimately of food. In the present review, the key mechanisms of the pathogen’s survival and stress adaptation have been presented. This information may grant better understanding of bacterial adaptation to food environmental conditions.</p>
</abstract>

Listeria monocytogenes is one of the most dangerous food-borne pathogens and is responsible for human listeriosis, a severe disease with a high mortality rate, especially among the elderly, pregnant women and newborns. Therefore, this bacterium has an important impact on food safety and public health. It is able to survive and even grow in a temperature range from -0.4°C to 45°C, a broad pH range from 4.6 to 9.5 and at a relatively low water activity (aW < 0.90), and tolerates salt content up to 20%. It is also resistant to ultraviolet light, biocides and heavy metals and forms biofilm structures on a variety of surfaces in food-production environments. These features make it difficult to remove and allow it to persist for a long time, increasing the risk of contamination of food-production facilities and ultimately of food. In the present review, the key mechanisms of the pathogen’s survival and stress adaptation have been presented. This information may grant better understanding of bacterial adaptation to food environmental conditions.

Why does <italic>Listeria monocytogenes</italic> survive in food and food-production environments?

Journal of Veterinary Research

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Why does  survive in food and food-production environments?

Listeria monocytogenes is one of the most dangerous food-borne pathogens and is responsible for human listeriosis, a severe disease with a high mortality rate,...

Why does Listeria monocytogenes survive in food and food-production environments?

Article Category: REVIEW ARTICLE

Published Online: Dec 19, 2023

Page range: 537 - 544

Received: Jul 26, 2023

Accepted: Nov 28, 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/jvetres-2023-0068

Keywords
food, food environments, food safety, molecular mechanisms

© 2023 Jacek Osek et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Why does Listeria monocytogenes survive in food and food-production environments?

Article Category: REVIEW ARTICLE

Published Online: Dec 19, 2023

Page range: 537 - 544

Received: Jul 26, 2023

Accepted: Nov 28, 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/jvetres-2023-0068

Keywordsfood, food environments, food safety, molecular mechanisms

© 2023 Jacek Osek et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
food, food environments, food safety, molecular mechanisms