listeriosis

noun

lis·​te·​ri·​o·​sis li-ˌstir-ē-ˈō-səs 

plural listerioses li-ˌstir-ē-ˈō-ˌsēz 

: 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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

But the listeriosis theory lacks that certain something. —Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, 6 Dec. 2022

In the early 1990s, government regulations helped lower cases of foodborne listeriosis by requiring routine surveillance of food-processing sites. —Claire Panosian Dunavan, Discover Magazine, 11 June 2018

And that’s good, because listeriosis is scary stuff. —Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, 6 Dec. 2022

Invasive listeriosis is when the bacteria gets through your intestinal walls into your bloodstream and potentially to other parts of your body such as your central nervous system. —Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes, 11 Nov. 2022

While these are short-term symptoms for healthy individuals, listeriosis can be fatal to some categories of people. —Chris Smith, BGR, 4 June 2022

Invasive listeriosis has fairly high mortality, with about 20 to 30% of those with such a condition not surviving. —Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes, 11 Nov. 2022

In certain cases, antibiotics are recommended to treat listeriosis. —Maggie O'neill, SELF, 4 Oct. 2022

An estimated 1,600 Americans get listeriosis each year, and about 260 die, according to the CDC. —Kate Gibson, CBS News, 3 Oct. 2022

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Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Listeria, from Joseph Lister

First Known Use

1941, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

listeriosis

noun

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

variants also listerellosis

ˌlis-tə-rə-ˈlō-səs 

plural listerioses also listerelloses -ˌsēz 

: 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 flu-like 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