Gram stain: positive Cell shape: small, cylindrical bacillus Arrangement: single Oxygen requirements: Motility: motile by means of flagella Other: can grow at refrigerator temperatures; able to withstand phagocytosis by white blood cells; nonspore-forming; catalase positive; beta-hemolytic; glucose fermenter.
Habitat: human gastrointestinal tract, vagina, oral cavity, dairy animals. Common soil saprophyte and decomposer of vegetable matter.
Diagnosis: culturing from blood, cerebrospinal fluid, or stool
Pathogenicity: cause of diarrhea, still birth, fetal damage, neonatal meningitis. Food-borne infection common in raw milk, cheese, meats and vegetables.
Transmission: fecal-oral route
Treatment: penicillin or ampicillin; trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole
Listeria monocytogenes
