Riboprint analysis of Listeria monocytogenes isolates obtained by FDA from 1999 to 2003 Original Research Article

Listeria monocytogenes is a widespread human and animal pathogen. Despite the potential value of ribotyping for tracking patterns of strain distribution in Listeria monocytogenes, the application of this technology for this species has been limited to sets of isolates that are linked either by epidemiology, geography, or food type. To broadly characterize the population structure of L. monocytogenes, automated ribotyping was carried out on a large set of unrelated isolates obtained by the US FDA from late 1999 to early 2003. The results showed the widespread occurrence of a few strains, and no indication of geographic or food-related stratification.