Listeria monocytongenes is a disease causing bacteria, commonly found in soil, water and animal feces. There are actually six different species of Listeria, monocytogenes, grayi, innocua, ivanovii, seeligeri and welshimeri, however not all species are pathogenic. According to Dairy Safe Victoria, “The detection of any Listeria species in either the processing environment or a dairy product may be considered a warning, as L. monocytogenes is often found following earlier detections of other Listeria species.”
Listeria is commonly found in moist damp environments, however that doesn’t mean that it is impossible to manage. A robust environmental monitoring program, using tools such as Lucipac A3 and Listeria Path-Chek can work to provide forewarning on the presence of Listeria in the production or manufacturing location. In addition, a clean and hygienic operations process using bootcleaners such as the AQUA Cube and passive boot and trolley cleaning solutions such as the Profilgate can work to avoid transmission of bacteria and dirt, and minimize sources of contamination. However if Listeria is found, Phageguard Listex can target and kill the Listeria at its source.