listeriosis

noun

lis·​te·​ri·​o·​sis li-ˌstir-ē-ˈō-səs 

plural listerioses li-ˌstir-ē-ˈō-ˌsēz 

: a serious encephalitic disease of a wide variety of animals that is caused by a bacterium (Listeria monocytogenes) and that in animals is often fatal but in humans is usually not fatal

Examples of listeriosis in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 1,600 people get listeriosis every year and that 260 die from it. —Randi Richardson, NBC News, 17 Oct. 2024

Symptoms of listeriosis include fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions, according to the CDC. —Lisa Rapaport, EverydayHealth.com, 22 July 2024

Most listeriosis infections are limited to the digestive system, with symptoms including diarrhea and vomiting within 24 hours of consuming contaminated food. —Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2024

Listeria is a bacteria that contaminates foods and can cause listeriosis, which is the third-leading cause of death from foodborne illness in the US. —John Towfighi, CNN, 25 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Listeria, from Joseph Lister

First Known Use

1941, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

listeriosis

noun

lis·​te·​ri·​o·​sis (ˌ)lis-ˌtir-ē-ˈō-səs 

variants also listerellosis

ˌlis-tə-rə-ˈlō-səs 

plural listerioses also listerelloses -ˌsēz 

: a serious disease of animals and humans that is caused by a bacterium of the genus Listeria (L. monocytogenes), that in animals causes severe encephalitis accompanied by disordered movements and is often fatal, that is contracted by humans especially from contaminated food (as processed meats or unpasteurized milk or cheese), that in otherwise healthy people typically takes the form of a mild flu-like illness or has no noticeable symptoms, that in neonates, the elderly, and the immunocompromised often causes serious sometimes fatal illness with symptoms including meningitis and sepsis, and that in pregnant women usually causes only mild illness in the mother but often results in miscarriage, stillbirth, or premature birth see circling disease