<i>Listeria monocytogenes</i>: An Inconvenient Hurdle for the Dairy Industry
Alessandra Casagrande Ribeiro,
Felipe Alves de Almeida,
Mariana Medina Medeiros,
Bruna Ribeiro Miranda,
Uelinton Manoel Pinto,
Virgínia Farias Alves
Affiliations
Alessandra Casagrande Ribeiro
Food Research Center (FoRC), Departamento de Alimentos e Nutrição Experimental, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Universidade de São Paulo (USP), São Paulo 05508-080, Brazil
Felipe Alves de Almeida
Instituto de Laticínios Cândido Tostes (ILCT), Empresa de Pesquisa Agropecuária de Minas Gerais (EPAMIG), Juiz de Fora 36045-560, Brazil
Mariana Medina Medeiros
Food Research Center (FoRC), Departamento de Alimentos e Nutrição Experimental, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Universidade de São Paulo (USP), São Paulo 05508-080, Brazil
Bruna Ribeiro Miranda
Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal de Goiás (UFG), Goiânia 74605-170, Brazil
Uelinton Manoel Pinto
Food Research Center (FoRC), Departamento de Alimentos e Nutrição Experimental, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Universidade de São Paulo (USP), São Paulo 05508-080, Brazil
Virgínia Farias Alves
Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal de Goiás (UFG), Goiânia 74605-170, Brazil
Listeria monocytogenes is an opportunistic pathogen that affects specific groups of individuals, with a high mortality rate. The control of L. monocytogenes in dairy industries presents particular challenges, as this bacterium is capable of adhering and forming biofilms, as well as thriving at refrigerated temperatures, which enables it to persist in harsh environments. The consumption of dairy products has been linked to sporadic cases and outbreaks of listeriosis, and L. monocytogenes is frequently detected in these products in retail stores. Moreover, the bacterium has been shown to persist in dairy-processing environments. In this work, we review the main characteristics of L. monocytogenes and listeriosis, and highlight the factors that support its persistence in processing environments and dairy products. We also discuss the main dairy products involved in outbreaks of listeriosis since the early 1980s, and present control measures that can help to prevent the occurrence of this pathogen in foods and food-processing environments.
