Alternative Names & Classifications:
Listeriosis (CLINICAL)
Description
This resilient bacterium uniquely survives and multiplies at standard refrigerator temperatures, often contaminating deli meats and unpasteurized cheeses. It primarily poses a severe threat to pregnant women, newborns, the elderly, and highly immunocompromised individuals. In vulnerable populations, the bacteria easily escape the gut to invade the central nervous system or the fetal placenta.