listeriosis

noun

lis·te·ri·o·sis | \ li-ˌstir-ē-ˈō-səs

plural listerioses\ li-ˌstir-ē-ˈō-ˌsēz

Definition of listeriosis

: a serious encephalitic disease of a wide variety of animals that is caused by a bacterium (Listeria monocytogenes) and that in animals is often fatal but in humans is usually not fatal

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Eating food contaminated with Listeria can cause listeriosis, a serious and potentially fatal illness, according to the CDC. — Jenna Flannigan, SELF, "8 Surprising Food Safety Mistakes You Might Be Making," 11 Jan. 2019 That resulted in detection of more listeriosis outbreaks, said Matthew Wise, deputy chief of CDC’s outbreak response and prevention branch, who expects a similar bump in E. coli and salmonella outbreaks as more of those samples are sequenced. — Jesse Newman, WSJ, "Foodborne Illness Outbreaks in Spotlight as Technology Improves," 18 Dec. 2018 In anyone, listeriosis can cause diarrhea, fever, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions. — David J. Neal, miamiherald, "These frozen desserts were sold in 15 states. Listeria caused their recall. | Miami Herald," 23 Apr. 2018 Investigations and testing by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the FDA found that at least eight people who ate the company's soft cheese were sickened by listeriosis. — Kevin Mccoy, USA TODAY, "Federal court shuts NY cheese facility linked to Listeria outbreak that killed two," 3 Apr. 2018 However, invasive listeriosis has a fatality rate of 20 to 30 percent, according to the WHO. — Time, "What's Behind the Deadliest Outbreak of Listeriosis," 15 Mar. 2018 The World Health Organization’s fact sheet on listeriosis. — Paul Burkhardt, Bloomberg.com, "What’s Behind the Deadliest Outbreak of Listeriosis," 15 Mar. 2018 Listeria causes listeriosis, a potentially fatal infection to young children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems. — David J. Neal, miamiherald, "The company found listeria in a dessert. A week’s production run has been recalled. | Miami Herald," 23 Mar. 2018 According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), common symptoms of listeriosis include headache, stiff neck, confusion, fever, and muscle aches. — Lindsey Murray, Good Housekeeping, "Frozen Broccoli Sold at Shop & Stop, Giant, and More Recalled Due to Listeria Risk," 24 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'listeriosis.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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The first known use of listeriosis was in 1941

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listeriosis

noun

lis·te·ri·o·sis | \ (ˌ)lis-ˌtir-ē-ˈō-səs

variants: also listerellosis \ ˌlis-tə-rə-ˈlō-səs

plural listerioses also -loses\ -ˌsēz

Medical Definition of listeriosis

: a serious disease of animals and humans that is caused by a bacterium of the genus Listeria (L. monocytogenes), that in animals causes severe encephalitis accompanied by disordered movements and is often fatal, that is contracted by humans especially from contaminated food (as processed meats or unpasteurized milk or cheese), that in otherwise healthy people typically takes the form of a mild flulike illness or has no noticeable symptoms, that in neonates, the elderly, and the immunocompromised often causes serious sometimes fatal illness with symptoms including meningitis and sepsis, and that in pregnant women usually causes only mild illness in the mother but often results in miscarriage, stillbirth, or premature birth — see circling disease