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
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She was born with a condition known as hydrocephalus, which doctors said was caused by a listeriosis infection that her mother contracted while pregnant.
—
Hanna Ziady, CNN, 25 Jan. 2025
Consumption of food contaminated with listeria can lead to listeriosis, a serious infection that primarily affects adults 65 and older, people with weakened immune systems, pregnant women and newborns.
—Andrea Chang, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2024
Common symptoms of Listeria infection, or listeriosis, include diarrhea, fever, vomiting, headache, and muscle pains, and are normally felt within 24 hours and last up to three days.
—Jenna Anderson, Health, 21 Oct. 2024
Consumption of food containing the bacteria can lead to listeriosis, an infection that is particularly harmful to pregnant women, people aged 65 or above, and people with weakened immune systems.
—Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 12 Jan. 2025
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Hanna Ziady, CNN, 25 Jan. 2025
Consumption of food contaminated with listeria can lead to listeriosis, a serious infection that primarily affects adults 65 and older, people with weakened immune systems, pregnant women and newborns.
—Andrea Chang, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2024
Common symptoms of Listeria infection, or listeriosis, include diarrhea, fever, vomiting, headache, and muscle pains, and are normally felt within 24 hours and last up to three days.
—Jenna Anderson, Health, 21 Oct. 2024
Consumption of food containing the bacteria can lead to listeriosis, an infection that is particularly harmful to pregnant women, people aged 65 or above, and people with weakened immune systems.
—Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 12 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for listeriosis
Dictionary Entries Near listeriosis
Cite this Entry
“Listeriosis.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/listeriosis. Accessed 16 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
listeriosis
noun
lis·te·ri·o·sis
(ˌ)lis-ˌtir-ē-ˈō-səs
variants
also listerellosis
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
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