There Are 5 New Listeria Species That Can Help Improve Food Safety, Scientists Discover

Cornell University food scientists discovered five previously unknown and novel relatives of listeria while investigating the presence of the bacteria in agricultural soil throughout the United States.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 1,600 individuals in the United States contract listeriosis each year, with about 260 deaths.

"From an evolutionary viewpoint and from a functional viewpoint for the food industry, this paper explains certain unusual traits of listeria organisms that are closely similar to listeria monocytogenes," said co-author Martin Wiedmann, a professor of food safety and food science. "Some assessments would almost certainly need to be re-evaluated."

Understanding the differences and similarities among listeria species is critical. "This will help us get better at detecting listeria monocytogenes and not mistaking it for anything similar," Wiedmann said.

13 of the 26 species included in the genus listeria have been discovered by Wiedmann's research group since 2010.

"You need to know the pathogenic listeria from the non-pathogenic organisms while examining the conditions of food processing plants or restaurants," Wiedmann said. "You have to be able to distinguish between the good guys and the bad guys."

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