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• 2. What is Listeria ?

2. What is Listeria ?

Listeria are a group of bacteria that occur naturally in a wide range of environments:

They are associated with a wide range of animals which are thought to act as reservoirs for this bacteria. Examples of animals known to carry Listeria include:

Various surveys have shown that between 1 and 9% of the human population carries Listeria monocytogenes harmlessly in its faeces.

There are seven species of Listeria but only one, Listeria monocytogenes, causes illness in humans. However, there is increasing concern that the presence of non-pathogenic species indicates conditions which also favour the presence of Listeria monocytogenes.