Surveillance of Listeria monocytogenes: Early Detection, Population Dynamics, and Quasimetagenomic Sequencing during Selective Enrichment
Eva Wagner, Annette Fagerlund, Solveig Langsrud, Trond Møretrø, Merete Rusås Jensen, Birgitte Moen
Abstract
We showed that a combination of a short primary enrichment combined with MDA and Nanopore sequencing can accelerate the traditional process of cultivation and identification of L. monocytogenes. The use of Illumina MiSeq sequencing additionally allowed us to predict the presence of cooccurring L. monocytogenes strains. Our results suggest quasimetagenomic sequencing is a valuable and promising hybrid surveillance tool for the food industry that enables faster identification of L. monocytogenes during early enrichment. Routine application of this approach could lead to more efficient and proactive actions in the food industry that prevent contamination and subsequent product recalls and food destruction, economic and reputational losses, and human listeriosis cases.