Isolation of Listeria: a review of procedures and future prospects

Recent documented foodborne outbreaks of listeriosis have underscored the need for improved isolation and identification procedures for Listeria. This review considers the development of selective enrichment media, various approaches to improving efficiency of isolation, and efforts to shorten enrichment periods. The application of simplified rapid nucleic acid hybridization techniques, in combination with improved cultural methods is the most promising of these approaches. Such methodological improvements should facilitate gathering data on important questions concerning the epidemiology of Listeria, and the natural history of listeriosis.