Species Listeria monocytogenes

Name: Listeria monocytogenes (Murray et al. 1926) Pirie 1940 (Approved Lists 1980)

Category, proposed as: species, comb. nov.

Basonym: "Bacterium monocytogenes" Murray et al. 1926

Etymology: mo.no.cy.to’ge.nes. N.L. neut. n. monocytum, a blood cell, monocyte; Gr. ind. v. gennaô, to produce; N.L. fem. part. adj. monocytogenes, monocyte-producing

Pronunciation (Latin), gender: lis-TE-ri-a mo-no-ky-TO-ge-nes, feminine

Type strain: ATCC 15313; CCUG 15526; CIP 82.110; DSM 20600; NBIMCC 8669; NCTC 10357; SLCC 53

Conduct genome-based taxonomy at

16S rRNA gene: MW316046 Analyse FASTA

Effective publication: Pirie JH. THE GENUS LISTERELLA PIRIE. Science 1940; 91:383.

IJSEM list: Skerman VBD, McGowan V, Sneath PHA. Approved lists of bacterial names. Int J Syst Bacteriol 1980; 30:225-420.

Nomenclatural status: validly published under the ICNP

Taxonomic status: correct name (and explicitly recommended for medical use)

Risk group: 2

• Synonyms:

  • Name	Kind
    "Bacterium monocytogenes" Murray et al. 1926	homotypic synonym, not validly published, basonym of name in Approved Lists

• Notes:
  • 🥇 Nomenclatural type of the genus Listeria Pirie 1940 (Approved Lists 1980). Publication: Pirie JH. THE GENUS LISTERELLA PIRIE. Science 1940; 91:383.
  • 😷 The risk group for Belgium has been imported on 2024-02-05. The full classification is: risk group = 2, note = "human and animal pathogen - biological class of risk animal: 2". — The risk group for Canada has been imported on 2024-02-27. The full classification is: risk group = 2, note = "Animal classification RG: 2 - Security sensitive biological agent: No - Terrestrial animal pathogen under Canadian Food Inspection Agency authority: No - Containment level: Containment Level 2". — The risk group for Swiss Confederation has been imported on 2024-02-01. The full classification is: risk group = 2. — The risk group for Germany has been imported on 2026-08-13. The full classification is: risk group = 2, note = "Z, sr". — The risk group for France has been imported on 2024-08-30. The full classification is: risk group = 2. — The risk group for Sweden has been imported on 2024-02-05. The full classification is: risk group = 2. — The risk group for Taiwan has been imported on 2024-11-03. The full classification is: risk group = 2, note = "P650 = v". — The risk group for United Kingdom has been imported on 2024-01-31. The full classification is: risk group = 2. — If in doubt, use the risk group given in the regulations for your country and, if these are not available, use the risk group given in the catalogue of the culture collection from which you have obtained or intend to obtain the strain.
  • 🎓 Name mentioned 9999 times (maxed out) in PubMed until 2026-06-11.
  • 🙆 This name is on the List of Recommended Names for bacteria of medical importance (LoRN) as the name to be applied to this species. The name is on LoRN because of the recorded risk group of the species itself.
  • 🧍 According to Bartlett et al. (2022), this species is an established human pathogen. Publication: Bartlett A, Padfield D, Lear L, Bendall R, Vos M. A comprehensive list of bacterial pathogens infecting humans. Microbiology (Reading) 2022; 168:0. 🇬🇧
  • 🧍 See also Louha et al. (2020). Publication: Louha S, Meinersmann RJ, Abdo Z, Berrang ME, Glenn TC. An Open-Source Program (Haplo-ST) for Whole-Genome Sequence Typing Shows Extensive Diversity among Listeria monocytogenes Isolates in Outdoor Environments and Poultry Processing Plants. Appl Environ Microbiol 2020; 87:0. 🇺🇸
  • 🧍 However, this proposal was disapproved by the Judicial Commission [3, 4], and the type strain is still strain ATCC 15313. Publication: Wayne LG. Actions of the Judicial Commission of the International Committee on Systematic Bacteriology on requests for opinions published in 1983 and 1984. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol. 1986; 36:357-358.
  • 🧍 See also: Publication: Jones D. JUDICIAL COMMISSION OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE ON SYSTEMATIC BACTERIOLOGY: Minutes of the Meeting, 5 September 1986, Manchester, United Kingdom. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol. 1987; 37:85-87.
  • 🧍 See also: Publication: Kathariou S, Pine L. The type strain(s) of Listeria monocytogenes: a source of continuing difficulties. Int J Syst Bacteriol 1991; 41:328-330.
  • 🧍 The type strain ATCC 15313 of Listeria monocytogenes is not typical of the species. This strain has an atypical antigenic structure, is nonhemolytic on sheep blood agar (but is hemolytic on rabbit blood agar), lacks motility, is nonpathogenic in mice, and shows limited cytopathogenic effects on Caco-2 monolayers [1, 2]. Moreover, there are important differences betwen the strain ATCC 15313 and the strain SLCC 53 (the strain SLCC 53 is unable to produce lecithinase, is nonhemolytic on rabbit or sheep blood agar, is motile, and shows no cytopathogenic effects on Caco-2 monolayers) [2]. In 1983, J. Dorothy and H.P.R. Seeliger [1] requested that strain ATCC 15313 be replaced by strain NCTC 7973 as the type strain. This request was prepared on behalf of and with the unanimous endorsement of the ICSB Subcommittee on the Taxonomy of Listeria. However, this proposal was disapproved by the Judicial Commission [3, 4], and the type strain is still strain ATCC 15313. Publication: Jones D, Seeliger HPR. Designation of a new type strain for Listeria monocytogenes. Request for an opinion. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol. 1983; 33:429.

Parent taxon: Listeria Pirie 1940 (Approved Lists 1980)

Assigned by: Pirie JH. THE GENUS LISTERELLA PIRIE. Science 1940; 91:383.

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Record number: 777590