Breaking News: How Food Affects Listeria's Journey in Your Gut
How Food Type Influences Listeria Survival and Infection Risk in Your Gut
Listeriosis is a rare but serious illness caused by Listeria monocytogenes. It often comes from contaminated food like cheese, fish, and sausage. This bacteria can grow even in cold storage, making ready-to-eat (RTE) foods risky. So, scientists studied how different foods affect Listeria during digestion and infection.
The study looked at three types of food: Brie cheese, smoked salmon, and knackwurst sausage. They grew Listeria on these foods at cold temperatures typical for storage. Then, they tested the bacteria’s survival through simulated mouth, stomach, and intestinal phases. Finally, they checked how well the bacteria invaded human intestinal cells.
The results showed differences in how Listeria behaved based on the food it grew on. One strain called EGDe grew more than others across all foods. But when facing digestion conditions, Listeria’s survival varied a lot with the type of food.
After the stomach phase, Listeria survived better when it came from cheese or fish compared to sausage. The acidic environment of the stomach killed more bacteria from sausage. Interestingly, after the intestinal phase, bacteria grown on cheese and fish didn’t just survive—they bounced back!
The final test revealed that Listeria pre-grown on smoked salmon invaded human intestinal cells much better than when grown on cheese or sausage. So, not all foods just help Listeria survive—they also affect its ability to infect us.
This finding matters because it shows that what we eat changes how dangerous this bacteria can be. Ready-to-eat products like smoked fish might increase infection risks more than other foods do.
The study also found that different strains of Listeria behave differently with each food type. That means some strains may cause infections more easily depending on what they contaminate.
Understanding these effects helps improve food safety rules and develop better protections against listeriosis outbreaks worldwide.
Reference
Lundén, J., et al. (2025). Effect of food matrix on survival and virulence of Listeria monocytogenes. Npj Science of Food, 9(4). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41538-025-00436-5
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Until 2023, Dr. Charudatta S Pathak held multiple academic positions, including lecturer, assistant professor, professor, dean, principal, director, and vice chancellor at public and private universities across India. From 2008 to 2010, he held the position of project lead in the CAE department at a European multinational corporation. Throughout his 28-year professional experience, he observed a requirement for reliable publications aimed at youngsters in grades 8 to 12, specifically for early-stage career planning. He initiated the establishment of ENTECH Digital Magazine, a complimentary periodical released on a monthly basis, accessible via stemconference.in and magzter.com. Teenagers with a keen interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and aspiring to pursue professional paths in these domains can consider reading ENTECH Digital Magazine.