Contamination by Listeria monocytogenes in Latin American Meat Products and its Consequences

Background: Listeria monocytogenes is one of the most important bacteria in food technology, causing listeriosis, a disease with high mortality rates, especially in developing countries. Objective: Thus, the objective of this review was to gather recent work on the presence of L. monocytogenes in meat and meat products in Latin America, in addition to pointing out control methods and resistance genes that can be disseminated. Methods: Original research articles in Portuguese, Spanish and English published since 2017 were selected, reporting the presence of L. monocytogenes in meat and meat products in Latin American countries. Articles were also reviewed on innovative methods for controlling the bacteria in food, such as intelligent packaging and the use of essential oils, and on resistance genes found in L. monocytogenes, pointing out the possible implications of this occurrence. Results: Some negligence was observed in determining the prevalence of this bacterium in several countries in Latin America. Although studies on L. monocytogenes have been found in milk and dairy products, demonstrating the existence of the necessary structure and knowledge for research development, studies on meat and meat products have not been found in most countries. In control methods developed against L. monocytogenes, the versatility of the approaches used stands out, enabling their use in different types of meat products, according to their technological characteristics. Conclusion: Several resistance genes have been determined to be possibly disseminated by L. monocytogenes, which adds more importance to the establishment of methods for its control.