Listeria monocytogenes and other Listeria species in raw milk and sausage in East Algeria
Listeria monocytogenes is a pathogenic bacterium that can cause Listeriosis in humans. The aim of this study is to isolate and enumerate L. monocytogenes and other Listeria species from raw milk and sausage samples collected in East Algeria. A total of 87 food samples were analyzed according to ISO 11290-1 and ISO 11290-2 methods. Of the samples examined, 10.34% were found to be positive for Listeria spp. Three species of Listeria were detected, in which L. innocua was the most commonly recovered species (66.67%) followed by L. seeligeri (22.22%) and L. monocytogenes (11.11%).The count for L. innocua ranged from 1.95 to 3.13 log10 (CFU g-1 or CFU ml-1), against 1.65 to 2.48 log10 (CFU g-1 or CFU ml-1) for L. seeligeri. L. monocytogenes contaminated sausage sample had enumeration results of 1.65 log10 (CFU g-1). The presence of Listeria in milk and sausage samples reflects the no control of hygienic practices.