--- title: Listeria is a hardy bug date: 2005-06-30T15:11:10-07:00 author: Bill Marler canonical_url: "https://marlerclark.com/news_events/listeria-is-a-hardy-bug" section: News --- [All News](/news_events) / # Listeria is a hardy bug June 28, 2005 IFT Daily Newsletter Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat products can do quite a bit of damage even after several months in a starved state, according to new research results. Ramakrishna Nannapaneni, a food science research associate for the Univ. of Arkansas, has been exploring the issue for the Food Safety Consortium with a research team led by Mike Johnson. ìThere has been a tremendous effort to find out virulence differences within Listeria monocytogenes for risk assessment needs,– Nannapaneni said, pointing to the bacterium’s damaged cells. ìThe next logical question is how long they remain virulent. That’s been the focus of our work.– The Arkansas experiments tested Listeria monocytogenes cells that had been starved for 196 days and those that had not been starved. The healthy cells were strong enough to kill 90% of a target mouse cell population within two hours of release. The starved and injured cells, after more than six months of languishing, still had enough strength to kill 60% of their target cell population within six hours, then 90% of the target after eight hours. ìIt’s important to understand how these starved cells are waking up and how to suppress them,– Nannapaneni said. ìThe long-term starved cells become smaller and coccoid, but they still remain viable and virulent.– ### Other Listeria Lawsuits [Clover Hill Dairy Cheese sickens 12 with Listeria - 1 Death](https://marlerclark.com/clover-hill-dairy-cheese-sickens-8-with-listeria) [70 Sickened by Salmonella Cantaloupe](https://marlerclark.com/70-sickened-by-salmonella-cantaloupe) [Headcheese linked to Listeria illnesses in Illinois](https://marlerclark.com/headcheese-linked-to-listeria-illnesses-in-illinois) [Kroger and Walmart Pasta Listeria Outbreak](https://marlerclark.com/kroger-and-walmart-pasta-listeria-outbreak) [Listeria Outbreak linked to Kroger and Walmart Chicken 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The team at Marler Clark is here to answer all your questions. Find out if you’re eligible for a lawsuit, what questions to ask your doctor, and more. [ Get a free consultation ](https://marlerclark.com/contact) ##### Related Resources ###### [Listeria Food Poisoning](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/listeria/about-listeria) What is Listeria and how does it cause food poisoning? Listeria is a gram-positive, rod-shaped bacterium that is ubiquitous and can grow under either anaerobic (without oxygen) or aerobic (with... ###### [The Incidence of Listeria Infections](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/listeria/the-incidence-of-listeria-infections) How common are Listeria infections? Listeria bacteria are found widely in the environment in soil, including in decaying vegetation and water, and may be part of the fecal flora of... ###### [The Prevalence of Listeria in Food and the Environment](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/listeria/listeria-prevalence) Listeria bacteria are common in nature. Listeria monocytogenes is omnipresent in nature; it is found widely in such places as water, soil, infected animals, human and animal feces, raw and... ###### [Transmission of and Infection with Listeria](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/listeria/transmission-of-and-infection-with-listeria) Listeria typically spreads to people through contaminated food or water, but can also be transmitted from mother to fetus. Except for the transmission of mother to fetus, human-to-human transmission of... ###### [Who is Most at Risk of Becoming Ill with Listeria?](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/listeria/who-is-most-at-risk-for-becoming-ill-with-listeria) The elderly, pregnant women, and anyone immunocompromised is most at risk for contracting Listeria. Several segments of the population are at increased risk and need to be informed so that... ##### Outbreak Database #### Looking for a comprehensive list of outbreaks? The team at Marler Clark is here to answer all your questions. Find out if you’re eligible for a lawsuit, what questions to ask your doctor, and more. [ View Outbreak Database ](https://outbreakdatabase.com)