Highlights
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Listeria monocytogenes is an emerging foodborne pathogen in Chile.
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Serotypes 1/2a, 1/2b and 4b were the most frequently detected in food products.
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Some L. monocytogenes clonal populations are persistent and widespread in foods.
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Genomic diversity of this pathogen in foods is considerable and change over time.
Abstract
Listeria monocytogenes causes severe diseases in humans, including febrile gastroenteritis and systemic infections that has a high mortality despite antibiotic treatment. This pathogen may cause massive outbreaks associated to the consumption of contaminated food products, which highlight its importance in public health. In the last decade, L. monocytogenes has emerged as a foodborne pathogen of major importance in Chile. A previous work showed that in Chile during 2008 and 2009, L. monocytogenes serotypes 1/2a, 1/2b and 4b were the most frequently identified in food and clinical strains. Here we report the molecular characterization of L. monocytogenes strains isolated from 2008 to 2017 in the country. Our results indicate that serotypes 1/2a, 1/2b and 4b continue to be the most commonly found in food products. In addition, we identify persistent and widespread PFGE subtypes. This study reports ten years of epidemiological surveillance of L. monocytogenes in Chile.
The number of reported cases of domestically acquired cyclosporiasis has increased from the previous month and remains elevated in the United States since May 1, 2019.
